


Betwixt Man and Angell

by Elise_Madrid



Series: Lore and Legends [2]
Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-22
Updated: 2011-05-22
Packaged: 2017-10-19 17:06:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/203161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elise_Madrid/pseuds/Elise_Madrid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While visiting Kirk's cousin in Scotland, captain and first officer encounter dark forces surrounding the Kirk family's past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Betwixt Man and Angell

**Author's Note:**

> First published in Beyond Dreams 9 (July 2006.)
> 
> Dreaming_Cat's Russian translation of this story can be found [here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8536126)
> 
> Many thanks to OKY for allowing me to add her fabulous artwork.

[ ](http://pics.livejournal.com/gilda_elise/pic/000440sw/)

_Hands dragged at him, threatening to pull him into the darkness. Unable to find purchase in the dew-laden grass, his boot heels digging vainly in the soft earth, Kirk grabbed at whatever came within reach as he was forced deeper into the forest. Whatever had him were but hazy outlines, yet their grasps were strong and sure._

_Kirk couldn’t remember how he’d got here. It was night and the moon hung full and bright overhead. But the underbrush was thick and a heavy fog covered the ground, muting the light. Trees towered around him and mocked his desperate attempts at escape with their elusive branches always out of reach._

_They came to an open glade and the ground began to rise, yet his captors seemed to have no trouble propelling him forward. He continued to struggle against the ghostly limbs that entwined about his arms and legs. Fear overpowered him as the earth before them parted like a door opening and he was pulled through. A black darker than night closed over him. There was something waiting for him here in the ground, something alive. Kirk screamed._

 

“Jim! JIM!”

Kirk felt hands gripped tightly around his biceps. He tried to lash out, but he was pinned down. “Let me go!” he cried, his voice tinged with hysteria.

“Jim, wake up!”

Finally, the concerned voice of his lover broke the nightmare’s grip on him. He opened his eyes. Even in the semidarkness of the room he could make out Spock’s visage above him, the shadows on Spock’s face deepening the lines of worry. With a gasp, Kirk threw his arms around the Vulcan’s waist and pulled his lover to him. He was in their bed, in the house he had grown up in; he was safe.

“Are you all right?” Spock let go of him and settled his hands in Kirk’s hair, starting a gentle massage in an attempt to soothe.

Kirk only nodded. His heart was still pounding from the terror that was slowly releasing him. Eventually he pushed Spock slightly away, enough so that he could look up into his lover’s face. Kirk’s breath hitched. “I’m all right, now. It was only a dream.”

“I do not believe I have ever seen you in such a state,” Spock noted while continuing his caresses of Kirk’s nape and brow.

Kirk shakily laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a nightmare that bad. It seemed so real.”

Spock came up on one elbow and studied him. “Can you tell me what the dream was about, what frightened you so?”

He frowned as he tried to recall the nightmare, but the harder he tried the more it seemed to fade away until all he could remember was the terror that had shaken him so badly. He didn’t know which worried him more, the fact that he had been so afraid, or his inability to recall what had frightened him so. Surely, something that still had the power to make his hands tremble shouldn’t be so easily lost. Finally he shook his head. “I don’t remember. Isn’t that odd?”

“I have been told that is often the way of dreams, fading with the coming of day.”

Kirk glanced over at the open window. It was not yet dawn and the heavy cloud cover and steadily falling rain only added to his foreboding. “It’s not light yet.”

“Soon enough. Dawn is only forty seven point two minutes away. Do you wish to get up now?”

“No.” Kirk’s mouth twisted into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’d like to sleep in today. Everything’s ready for our trip so we have plenty of time.”

His cousin wouldn’t be there until one to give them a lift to the transport station. Then it was off to Scotland for a month-long vacation before taking charge of the Enterprise’s refit.

Spock looked at him for a moment. Finally, as if satisfied as to his lover’s well-being, he lay down and pulled Kirk to him so that Kirk’s back nestled against his chest. Strong Vulcan arms wrapped protectively around him. “Sleep well, t’hy’la,” Spock whispered, nuzzling the back of his neck before settling down.

Kirk listened to the sound of Spock’s breathing as his lover slipped into sleep. Outside, the sky seemed to darken as the rain intensified, the dawn swallowed by the eerie cast of the thunderheads. Kirk watched the force of the deluge stir the curtains, the sheer material dancing ghoulishly in the preternatural light. It was a long time before he shut his eyes.

^^^^^

Kirk woke tired and out of sorts. The old-fashioned clock on the night stand showed quarter to ten. The sounds emanating from downstairs told him that Spock was up and that his breakfast was probably sitting in the warmer.

Not that he was all that hungry. He still couldn’t remember the dream but, oh, the terror, and his reaction to it, was another matter. He felt like a fool. Amazing how effectively that killed his appetite.

He’d never told Spock about his nightmares. Hell, he had always figured they came with the territory. He’d watched so many men and women die under his command; was it so surprising that their spectres would haunt him in his dreams? Yet none had ever left him weak with fear or afraid to go back to sleep.

And he had been afraid. He just wished he knew of what. Mentally shaking himself, Kirk threw the covers off and sat up. He grabbed his robe from the foot of the bed and made his way to the bathroom. He wasn’t going to waste his time worrying about things that went bump in the night.

He hurried through his shower. Now that he was up and moving around, the excitement over their trip was back. He threw on the clothes he’d set aside the night before, packed up the last of his personal items and, suitcase in hand, headed downstairs.

The rest of their luggage was neatly stacked next to the front door. Spock had been busy. Kirk added his last bag and followed the smell of coffee into the kitchen. There he found the Vulcan reading the morning paper while he finished off a piece of toast.

“Quaint, isn’t it?” Kirk poured himself a cup a coffee and joined his lover at the table. He looked over the plate of pastries before finally deciding on a coffee roll.

Spock shook out the paper, neatly folded it and placed it on the table before responding. “Quaint?”

“You know, real paper.” Kirk lightly tapped the newspaper.

“It does seem to have its charm, although I do not understand why the information is not sent via the com link.”

“It is. But Riverside has always tried to keep that little town charm going.” He grinned. “Like the fairs.”

Spock didn’t smile, exactly, but Kirk still noticed the warm glow that came over him whenever Spock looked at him like that.

“Stop that. We’ve got a transporter waiting for us.”

That got him a raised eyebrow.

“I was not aware I was doing anything.”

“Uh-huh.” Kirk took a bite of his roll and washed it down with a mouthful of coffee. “Has Brian called?”

“Not yet. But he is not expected for another twenty-seven minutes.”

“I was hoping he’d get here early. I wanted to go over some of the repairs I needed done on the barn.”

“Is it something that cannot be discussed during our ride to the station?”

Kirk only shrugged. Brian had promised to be there by one but his cousin wasn’t as dependable as he once had been…or as talkative. A broken heart could do that.

It had all seemed to fall into place the previous summer, for both of them. Suddenly the man Kirk had wanted was his. And the man his cousin had unceremoniously dumped had had the good graces to take him back.

After spending two days on the farm filled with the most intense and satisfying lovemaking Kirk could ever have imagined, he and Spock had returned to the ship. With a little more than three months left to go of the five-year mission, there was plenty to do and the days had flown by.

And he had Spock in his life and in his bed. He had never been happier. They were still the best command team in the Fleet; in that, nothing had changed. But everything had changed. Every look, every touch, now had a new meaning and Kirk reveled in it. He was seeing a side of Spock he hadn’t known existed. An assured, sometimes playful lover, the Vulcan quickly dispelled any idea on Kirk’s part that this relationship wasn’t just as important or as all-consuming to him as it was to Kirk.

No wonder that, in what seemed like no time at all, the mission had ended and they had found themselves back on Earth.

Brian and his lover, Ted, had met them there to hand over the keys and for Brian to bring Kirk up to speed to what he’d being doing the last fifteen weeks. As they had sat around the kitchen table, Kirk, Brian and Ted drinking beer while Spock sipped tea, Kirk could have sworn the other two men were as happy as he and Spock were.

Christmas had been especially satisfying. They had been spending most of their time in San Francisco; back only a couple of weeks, both men were still going through debriefing. But they had managed to slip away long enough to spend the holidays on the farm.

So it had gone for the next few months. Winter slowly gave way and, if there was a new edge of nervousness to his cousin, Kirk had chalked it up to Brian having to be in three places at once. He ran the farm, helped Ted with the bistro his lover had opened up in town, and oversaw the building of a house for the two men to share down the road from Kirk’s.

Then, somewhere around the middle of March, everything had changed.

Brian had become short-tempered; it took next to nothing to set him off, sending him into a sulk that could last for days. Ted had tried, Kirk had to give him that, but nothing seemed to please his cousin anymore.

Eventually, it had all become too much. Ted had walked out two weeks before.

The house sat half-built, abandoned on the day Brian had finally managed to drive his lover away.

“Are you all right? Jim?”

Kirk’s head came up, startled into awareness. He smiled guiltily. “Did you ask me something?”

“I asked if you were all right. You seem distracted. Are you still disturbed over your dream?”

Kirk waved his hand in dissent. “I’m worried about Brian. Spock, it’s like I don’t even know him anymore.”

Spock tilted his head in thought. Just when Kirk thought he was going to say something, he appeared to hesitate.

“What?” Kirk asked, impatiently.

“Jim, have you ever truly known your cousin as an adult?”

Kirk gave him a look. “Spock, I may not have been around him much, but the changes in him the last few weeks have bordered on the bizarre.”

“We could stay.”

“Not on your life.” Kirk got up, collecting his cup and the plate of pastry as he did so. “It’s taken me too long to talk you into this trip to begin with. Besides, it’s been ages since I’ve seen my cousin, Jessica.”

“Cousin?”

“Well, second cousin; our grandfathers were brothers.”

“I see. You have rarely spoken of her. Were you close?”

“We were as children. My parents used to ship me and Sam over there every spring for a couple of weeks, then Jessica’s parents would send her and her brother, Trent, here around August before we all had to go back to school.”

“Her brother, is he the one who recently died?”

Kirk nodded. “Which is another reason we need to go. I talked to her over the com link right after it happened but it’s not the same as being there. I really need to spend some time with her. We might even get to see some of the country at the same time.”

“You have an interest in Scotland other than the personal? I was not aware of this. I was under the impression we would be spending most of our time in Aberfoyle.”

“Oh, we will; after all, it’s where the Kirks originally came from.” He took Spock’s cup and saucer and started washing them. “But there should be time to take in some of the other sights in the area.”

“Aberfoyle must be quite small if we must transport via Stirling.”

“Yes, smaller than Riverside, if you can believe it. Stirling is just the closest transport station; Aberfoyle is about twenty miles to the west.”

 

^^^^^

Brian rubbed his temple while trying to keep the aircar straight. He was sluggish with sleep and now he was running late. Jim was going to have a fit.

He thought he’d set his alarm the night before. Maybe not. He’d grown so used to the dreams waking him, he had got to the point where an alarm seemed redundant. Last night, after he’d cleaned up what was left of the candle and put away the altar cloth, he hadn’t thought of anything except the possibility of finally getting a good night’s sleep. Just his luck, on the day when he needed to be up early, he’d slept like the dead until almost noon.

Yet he was happier than he’d been in a long time; even the thought of Jim’s wrath couldn’t dampen his spirits. He’d been half out of his mind with dread when the dreams had started the night of the spring equinox. Alban Eiler spoke of a balancing between not just dark and light but between worlds as well; it was a time of high magical potential. The dreams, too, alluded to a balancing, what little he could remember of them. He’d performed the cleansing ritual out of sheer desperation with little hope that it would actually work. But it had and he appeared to be finally free of the nightly visitations.

Glancing at the chronometer on the instrument panel, he gave the engine a little nudge. Ten to one. There wasn’t another ‘car in sight; no one used this road except those going to or from the Kirk farm. The extra speed might actually get him there on time.

A couple of minutes later he was barreling down the lane that snaked its way by the river and then to the Kirk farmhouse. Off on the left, the near-finished house he would have shared with his lover stood forlorn and empty. There wasn’t that much left to do to it; perhaps, staying on the farm for the next month, he’d take the time to finish the job. His life didn’t have to end just because Ted had left him again.

It was a nice thought, the first he’d had in months. He smiled to himself, savoring his happiness. He took the last turn and, in spite of Jim waiting on the front porch, his Vulcan lover standing patiently next to him, nothing could spoil Brian’s disposition. He pulled the vehicle into the shaded area in front of the house and came to a stop.

“You two ready to go?” Brian called as he opened the door and got out of the ‘car.

“I was beginning to worry.” Kirk hurried over, a suitcase in each hand.

Brian opened up the back compartment and helped his cousin load the bags. “We’ve got plenty of time. There’s not that much traffic today, so we should make Des Moines with time to spare. Let me get that, Spock,” he added, taking the largest of the suitcases from the Vulcan.

“I left the house open; you were planning on staying here, right?” Kirk asked.

“It makes the most sense.” Brian slammed the hatch shut.

After Kirk did a last-minute check, running into the house when he’d realized he’d left his jacket draped over the living room couch, the three men boarded the aircar, Spock in the back, Kirk taking the front passenger seat.

“All set?” With a nod from Kirk, Brian started the vehicle and, with a leisurely turn, started it down the road again.

^^^^^

It was a beautiful day; the storm that had held through most of the night had finally broken and the sky was clear. Kirk pressed the window control to let the cool breeze into the ‘car and settled back, enjoying the ride.

It was quiet in the small vehicle, the drone of its engine actually adding to the serenity of the setting. Kirk sneaked a glance at his cousin. Brian seemed in a better mood than he had in a long time. Perhaps he was starting to get over his breakup with Ted.

“I left a printout of the repairs I wanted done on the barn. Just give them to Henry, he’ll know what to do.”

“I’m going to ask him to help me with the new house. It’s about time I finished it, don’t you think?” Brian glanced over and gave Kirk a tentative smile.

“That’s great, Brian. If you don’t mind me asking, what brought this on?”

“I don’t know. I suppose I’m tired of feeling bad. It’s not like I’m the first person to ever be dumped. I need to just get over it and get on with my life.”

“You look like you got a good night’s sleep.”

Brian beamed. “I sure did. First time in a long time, too.”

A cloud passed overhead and Kirk felt a chill. “I wish I could say the same thing.”

“Didn’t you sleep well?”

Kirk hesitated. “Most of the night. But I woke up right before dawn and had a hell of a time getting back to sleep.” He looked back at Spock, who was regarding him intensely.

“Why’s that?”

“He had an extremely disturbing dream,” Spock interjected.

“It wasn’t that bad.”

Spock gave him a look.

“Well, it wasn’t.”

“What was it about?” Brian asked.

Kirk turned back to his cousin. “That’s the funny thing about it; for the life of me, I can’t remember.”

“Are you sure?” Brian was suddenly insistent. “Try to remember.”

“Why? What’s the big deal? It was just a dream.”

Brian’s hands tightened against the ‘car’s controls. “It…sometimes dreams do mean something.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know,” Brian hedged. “It’s just that dreams, especially nightmares, can be a portent of sorts.”

Kirk was amazed. “Brian, you’ve really got to quit believing in all those fairy tales your dad told you. This is the twenty-third century, not the thirteenth.”

“They’re not fairy tales.”

“You’re serious! For god’s sake, it was just a dream, an everyday, run-of-the-mill dream.”

“It was more than that, Jim.” Spock moved forward in his seat. “And most myths have their basis in fact.”

“Don’t you start, too.” Kirk glared at him. “I should be used to it from him; he’s believed in this stuff since we were kids. But I don’t think I could handle a Vulcan who believes in ghosts and goblins and things that go bump in the night.” He lifted his hands in appeal. “Now, can we just forget about it, both of you?”

Spock merely raised an eyebrow and settled back in his seat.

“Brian?”

Brian took a deep breath and let it slowly out. “Okay, Jim. I suppose it could have been just a dream.”

“Thank you.” Kirk shook his head. No wonder Brian had never wanted to leave Earth; who needed the mysteries of space when you could make up your own?

^^^^^

 

The Stirling transporter terminal wasn’t an especially busy one; the old building had seen livelier times in its faded past as a railroad station. But it was run in an orderly fashion and the first thing Kirk noticed as they materialized on one of its larger platforms was the lack of frenetic motion that had characterized the Des Moines station. There was a quiet serenity to the building, the trappings of the twenty-third century a thin veneer.

Grabbing Spock’s arm, Kirk pointed to the sign directing them to their luggage. “I guess that’s our next stop.”

With Spock trailing slightly behind, Kirk headed for baggage claim. He checked out their surroundings as they made their way along the concourse and was enchanted by the old world charm of the place. The carousel at their destination had little on it and they found their luggage with little trouble. Kirk made a cursory check of their bags, having had trouble before with the overtaxed transporters used for cargo and luggage, and ten minutes later he and Spock exited the building. The sun was just below the horizon and they stood together in the gathering twilight, trying to get their bearings.

“The hotel’s over there.” Kirk pointed to the west. There was still enough light to make out the silhouette of several buildings perched on the elevated ground.

“We are staying there?” Spock eyebrows rose.

“The small building on the left. The rest of what you’re seeing is Stirling Castle, and I don’t believe they’ll allow us to spend the night there.”

“From here, it reminds me somewhat of the fortress on Organia.”

Kirk gave it another look. “It does sort of resemble it, doesn’t it? It’s supposed to be quite impressive from the other side.”

“It is most unfortunate, then, that we shall be leaving early in the morning.”

“I think we can take some time to look around, don’t you? But speaking of an early morning, I guess we better get going.”

“It is somewhat of a climb. Perhaps we should call for public transport,” Spock cautiously suggested.

Kirk eyed the slope of the land. The lady he’d talked to from the hotel had told him it was a twenty minute walk. If she could do it, so could they.

Disregarding the fact that they would both be carrying two rather large suitcases, Kirk picked his up and motioned toward the hotel with a tilt of his head. “Come on, Spock, we’re losing the light.”

^^^^^

Kirk approached the hotel entrance and put his luggage down. He shook out his arms, trying to get the feeling back into them while studying the large and somewhat brooding hotel before them.

“Is there something amiss?”

Kirk threw his companion a dirty look. “You might have thought to ask that before we got here.”

“You appeared to have the situation in hand.” Spock raised an eyebrow. “I assumed you would ask for help if you had needed it.”

“Come on.” Kirk picked up his bags. “I’ll let you open the door.”

Spock transferred over one of his suitcases and tucked it under his arm, freeing a hand. He moved ahead of Kirk and swung open the wooden portal. “After you.”

The interior of the building was far more welcoming. Rich, dark wood and walls of stone were softened by plush seating with throw pillows that added bright splashes of color. Kirk nodded appreciatively as he approached the front desk. Behind the imposing counter, an equally imposing woman leaned across its surface. Tall, though well proportioned, she had eyes that sparkled with humor.

“Could I be of service, gentlemen?”

“We’ve got reservations. Name’s Kirk, James T.”

“Let’s see, today’s the twelfth of May….” She flipped through a large and well-thumbed tome that took up half the counter top. Finally, she spotted his name. “Yes, I see. Room 204.” She glanced up and gave them both a quick look. “Just the one room?”

Spock moved closer. “We only require one room,” he succinctly responded.

The woman’s mouth twitched as she brought the book around to sign. “You’ll only be staying the one night?”

“Yes, we’ll be moving on to Aberfoyle in the morning.”

“Ah, here to see visit the sacred place, are you?”

“I beg your pardon?”

She looked at him in surprise. “You don’t know about Fairy Knowe? It’s one of Aberfoyle’s most famous sites. It’s considered the sacred place of the fairies.”

“Ah, no. I’m visiting family there.” He took the stylus she offered and began adding his name to the roster. “Besides, aren’t you a bit old to be believing in fairies, Miss, uh, Miss…”

“Peterson. But Alice will do. Kirk, you say?” Her eyes narrowed. “The name does ring a bell. Oh, you both need to sign in,” she added when he tried giving the pen back.

He handed off the instrument to Spock and moved aside. “Isn’t this an awfully vintage way of doing things?” He nodded toward the book.

She shrugged. “Perhaps. But it’s the way things have been done for hundreds of years. No sense in changing now.” She opened a drawer and removed two old-fashioned keys. She handed one to each of them and retrieved the pen from Spock. “Here you go. I can show you to your room now.” Coming around the counter, she moved toward the stairs near one end of the room.

Kirk looked at her in surprise. “Isn’t there a turbolift?”

She stopped, one foot on the first step. Her laugh was half rueful, half teasing. “I’m afraid not. Don’t worry, James T. Kirk; it’s only two flights.” She started up the stairs. “Coming, gentlemen?”

He shared a look with Spock and then, picking up their luggage, they followed her up.

^^^^^

 

His eyes flew open to a darkness almost as deep as the one he’d just escaped. Kirk wiped the sweat from his brow and turned on his back. Next to him, Spock slumbered on. Apparently, the only thrashing Kirk had done was in his dreams.

He slowly sat up. His arms were shaking so badly, at first he thought they wouldn’t hold his weight. But he managed to get himself into a sitting position and then swing his legs around to sit on the edge of the bed. He absently rubbed his chest as he tried to slow his pounding heart, only to bring his hand away in consternation when he felt the slick layer of sweat that covered his torso.

Taking a shaky breath, he pushed himself up off the bed. He grabbed his robe but didn’t bother putting it on; the night air was chill but more than anything else he needed to wash off the stink of fear. With slightly stumbling steps, he moved toward the small bathroom.

He waited until he had closed the door on the outer room before turning on the light and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. Kirk caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His face was pasty white and tight lines bracketed his mouth. But that isn’t what grabbed his attention.

Kirk had never been one for false bravado; only a fool was never afraid. It was the barely leashed terror that lurked in the depths of his eyes that held him and drew him forward.

It didn’t even look like him. His eyes were wide with shock and completely black, no part of the hazel irises showing; they could be two inky portals to hell. Yet there was an allure to it, and he clamped his teeth together to stop his jaw from trembling as he neared the distorted image.

He touched the glass and for a moment the world tilted and he saw, not his reflection, but the ghostly outline of some thing hovering over and around him. It obstructed the light so that the room suddenly went as dark as his dream. He almost screamed when something clutched at his arms and tried drawing him toward the shimmering surface of the mirror.

“Jim? Are you in there?”

He must have blacked out because Kirk found himself on the floor, naked and shivering. His robe was a crumpled heap beneath him and must have cushioned his fall. He tried to speak but nothing came out at first. Finally, he managed to croak out an answer. “I’ll…I’ll be out in a minute, Spock.”

“Are you all right?”

Kirk managed to gain his feet. He’d been leaning against the door, effectively blocking any entrance. No wonder Spock was still on the other side. He opened the door. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Spock stood there in his robe and looked at Kirk like he’d lost his mind. Perhaps he had.

“Something has happened.”

Kirk shrugged. “Another nightmare, that’s all.”

“It is several hours until dawn; why would you shower now?” Spock’s eyes narrowed. “Never mind. I will accompany you.”

He entered the room and closed the door behind him. Taking Kirk in hand, he gently led him into the shower stall and started the water flowing.

“You’ll get wet,” Kirk pronounced.

“That is all right, t’hy’la. I will not melt.”

Kirk smiled and felt the last of the terror seep from his body. It had only been a dream, hadn’t it? He’d probably still been asleep when he’d come into the bathroom. Sleepwalking. Yes, that sounded right.

He let Spock run a wash cloth over his body and when he was done he let him towel him dry. He wasn’t afraid anymore, but he still felt disconnected, not himself completely.

It was only when Spock took him to bed and surrounded him with his heat and strength that Kirk finally felt the world slip back on its axis. He surrendered to sleep and did not dream again.

^^^^^

 

They walked along the stretch of land that abutted the castle. A large garden was off to their left, but the huge edifice that reared out of the base of igneous rock grabbed the senses and left everything wan in comparison.

The day was cold; a stiff breeze blew from the north, bringing tears to Kirk’s eyes. But it didn’t occur to him to turn back just yet. Instead, he wound his arm around Spock’s waist and led him on.

Spock was quiet. Kirk knew his partner was more than curious about why Kirk had taken it into his head to shower in the middle of the night. The Vulcan had let it go the night before, more concerned with getting Kirk calmed and back to bed. But he would worry at this particular incident until Kirk broke down and told him everything.

Problem was, he didn’t know why he’d done what he’d done. He remembered waking, scared half out of his mind. But he couldn’t remember of what. He stiffened his shoulders: best to forget it. Spock would just have to understand that not everything had an explanation.

“It’s an amazing place, isn’t it?”

Spock looked at him and then at the castle that dominated the landscape. “Quite, though it is difficult to imagine residing in such a structure.”

Kirk smiled. “That from someone whose family home is practically a fortress.”

“Ah, but the walls of a Vulcan home are thick in order to protect its inhabitants from the rays of the sun. The rock itself holds in the warmth and keeps the ambient temperature an agreeable forty degrees Celsius. That place,” he motioned his head toward the castle, “is probably quite cold.”

“Probably. Yet, this place,” Kirk threw his free arm out, to encompass all their surroundings, “has an appeal I can’t explain. It feels…familiar.”

“Your family was originally from this area. I cannot accept the idea of an ancestral memory but perhaps humans do possess a collective unconscious similar to that of Vulcans’ telepathic awareness of each other. If that is so, perhaps this place feels familiar because it is.”

Kirk shot Spock an incredulous look. “So you’re saying whatever my ancestors saw or felt, I’m picking up now?”

“Not exactly,” Spock backpedaled. “I am referring more to a memory as it references an inherent genetic recollection of the experiences of the ancestral line of any given individual.”

“I almost understood what you just said,” Kirk laughed. “Come on, we better turn back. I told my cousin we’d be at her place by lunch time and it’s almost eleven now.”

They turned around and retraced their steps to the hotel. The aircar Kirk had rented was waiting for them, their luggage already packed into its relatively large back compartment. Kirk got in on the driver’s side and waited until Spock was in and buckled up.

“You ready?”

Spock gave the map another look. “I am ready.”

“Let’s go.” Kirk started the ‘car and pulled away from the hotel.

^^^^^

[ ](http://pics.livejournal.com/gilda_elise/pic/00046r7d/)

“God, this place is gorgeous,” Kirk marveled as he tried to drive and take in the scenery at the same time.

Spock put out a hand and grabbed the controls. “Please, Jim, I do not wish to end up a traffic fatality.”

“Hey, I got us back from the mission in one piece, didn’t I?”

“I have the utmost faith in your abilities to run a starship. To drive a vehicle is yet another matter.

“Oh, you’re no fun at all.” Kirk winked. “Just stick with me, kid.”

Spock ignored the comment and pointed to the secondary highway coming up on their right. “You are to take this road and then make a sharp left.”

They had reached the picturesque little town of Aberfoyle in less than thirty minutes and had fast been coming to its end. Kirk had begun to think they’d passed their destination. He slowed for the turn and then veered off to the left before coming to a full stop. He gazed out the window at the large Victorian house sitting across the road. “Are you sure?”

“Quite sure.” Spock gave him a look.

Kirk grinned and started the ‘car forward again. “It’s been so long; I guess that’s why nothing looks familiar.”

The house did look vaguely familiar but, still not sure, Kirk approached slowly. When they got closer, he realized that there was someone standing on the front steps. It was a woman. Of a fair height, she was wrapped in a gray shawl that did nothing to hide her enlarged belly.

Kirk drove up the curved driveway and brought the vehicle to a halt in front of the house. He opened his door and got slowly out. The woman smiled and started toward him.

This close, he couldn’t help but recognize her. She’d been tall as a girl. Those inches, hated by her then, now gave her an almost regal bearing. The hair was the same; only slightly lighter than his own, it framed her face in windblown simplicity and softened the strong jaw that kept her from being doll-beautiful. But it was her eyes, so blue as to put the cornflowers to shame, that he most remembered about her, eyes that sparked with humor as she threw herself into his arms.

“Jim! It’s been too long!” She hugged him as tightly as her burgeoning body would allow.

He held her close but didn’t speak. He hadn’t expected to have this strong a reaction to seeing her again; it made words impossible. Finally, he pulled back and, after gazing his fill, led her over to Spock.

“Jessica, I’d like you to meet Spock. Spock,” he looked back at the woman and beamed. “Jessica.”

“I am honored.” Spock only nodded his head, though the slight smile on his face gave away his pleasure at Kirk’s obvious joy.

“I’m so happy to finally meet you, Spock.” She smiled and tightened her arms around Kirk. “Jim’s written me so much about you.”

“It is unfortunate I was not allowed the same honor.”

“I didn’t know if she was the same girl,” Kirk responded, his gaze still fixed on the woman. “But you are, aren’t you? I can tell.”

Her laughter was deep and throaty as she looked down at her body. “And much more.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Oh, I know you, you’re looking for that besotted little girl who followed you and George and Trent around, making an utter pest of herself.”

Suddenly he sobered. “I’m sorry about Trent.”

She seemed to go into herself and gave a soft sigh. “He didn’t want to come home. That’s the worst part, that he died so far from home.”

Kirk damned himself for bringing it up. But he’d wanted her to know her brother wasn’t forgotten. That had been the worst part after Sam’s death; no one would speak of him. He threw Spock a helpless look.

The Vulcan cleared his throat. “It is hard to imagine anyone not wishing to return to such a place.”

Jessica shuddered slightly, as if chilled, but then turned to smile at Spock. “He always loved it. It was only lately…. Ah, well, enough of that. We should be getting inside. The weather looks to be changing.”

As if on cue, the sun was blotted out by the clouds that had been building in the east. Only early afternoon, it looked more like late evening.

“Come on,” she pulled at Kirk while including Spock with nod, “a nice cup of tea will warm us up. Stephen’s taken next week off but until he gets home, I’ve got the two of you all to myself.”

They left their luggage for later. The old house beckoned and Kirk was suddenly sure it had waited for his return.

^^^^^

“I didn’t realize this place used to be a hotel.” Kirk’s voice held surprise as he shared an appreciative look with Spock who sat on his right.

They were sitting around the large oval dining table that had been in the house longer than Kirk’s family had. Part of a set, the dark heavy furniture dominated the room, the only cheery note the light thrown by the sconces onto the pale peach walls.

Jessica, at his left, nodded. “That was over a hundred and fifty years ago. The area used to get more visitors but times change and as fewer and fewer people came, one by one the hotels went out of business. It seems our great-great-grandfather had always loved the place, so he snatched it up when it went on the market.”

“And proceeded to fill the place with offspring,” Stephen, Jessica’s husband responded.

“There were only seven of them,” Jessica retorted as she playfully slapped Stephen’s arm.

“I wondered, when you showed us to what’s practically a suite.” His look took in more than the room they were in. “It seems a lot for just the two of you.”

Jessica smoothed her hand over her stomach. “Three. And there’s no tellin’ how many more.”

“We Owens have always been a prolific lot.”

Kirk studied the man sitting at the head of the table. He wasn’t at all what Kirk had expected for Jessica. Rawboned and tall, the lanky man had a sense of humor drier than Spock’s. He’d made the pronouncement in a serious tone but his eyes belied his words. “Has your family been here long?” Kirk asked.

“Almost as long as yours. First Owen to settle here was in the early seventeen hundreds.”

“Brian mentioned that he had traced the Kirk family back to more than a hundred years before then,” Kirk responded.

“Brian?”

Kirk turned to his cousin. “Brian Douglas. Don’t you remember him? There were three of them: Brian and two older brothers, Richard and Edward.”

She scrunched her face in thought, as if it would aid in pulling the memories. “I think so. Did they live near you?”

“They lived in Detroit until my dad died; then my Aunt Stella moved them to Riverside so my mom would have someone close by.”

“That’s so odd. You’d think I’d remember them better.”

Kirk puzzled it over for a minute and then frowned. “You know, now that I think about it, my Aunt Stella always had a reason to keep the boys at home whenever you and Trent were there. I remember wanting us all to be together but I don’t think it ever happened.”

Jessica pondered his words. “I wonder why.”

“Maybe she’d heard the legend and didn’t want any part of this side of the family,” Stephen said laughingly.

“Legend?” Kirk looked at Stephen and then back at his cousin.

“It’s ridiculous, really.” Jessica glared at her husband. “You shouldn’t be sayin’ such things, not even in jest.”

“What?” Kirk waited. “Oh, come on. You can’t throw something like that out and then not follow through. What legend?”

Jessica gave an exasperated sigh. “Legend has it that one of our ancestors was taken by the fairies.”

“You’re kidding?” Kirk traded looks with Spock and laughed; the Vulcan’s eyebrows were almost hidden beneath his bangs, they had shot up so high. But then he noticed the look on Jessica face and sobered. “You’re not kidding!”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

“Who was he?”

“His name was Robert Kirk. He was a reverend at the old church; it’s nothing but a ruin now.”

“Why would people think he was taken by,” Spock hesitated, “fairies?”

“I don’t know. Something to do with a book he wrote,” she answered evasively. “It was ages and ages ago and best forgot.”

Stephen leaned over and took his wife’s hand. “It’s just a legend, Jessie. There’s no need to for you to get so upset about it.”

Jessica blinked and took a deep breath and finally managed a shaky smile she shared with all three men. “I know it’s silly but it’s always bothered me. Maybe because Trent and I were often teased about it as kids.”

“Then we should talk about something else.” Kirk pushed his plate away slightly and leaned against the table. “Let me tell you about something even stranger….”

Kirk did his best, regaling his cousin and her husband with those stories he could safely tell from their many encounters in space. But later, as Jessica kissed him goodnight, he could still see the shadows in her eyes left by the legend’s mention.

^^^^^

 

  
[ ](http://pics.livejournal.com/gilda_elise/pic/00045bed/)   


“Jim?”

Kirk turned at the sound of his name. On the bed, Spock had come up on his elbows and was looking at Kirk with a mixture of concern and curiosity.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Kirk stood at the bay window and gazed out into the garden, drawn to the mist-laden enclosure shrouded by the stand of trees at its edge. Beyond lay a hill that dominated the landscape.

Spock sat up and propped his arms across bent knees. “You couldn’t or do not wish to?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You have dreamt the last two nights; it would not be inconceivable that you would do so again tonight. Even if only because it is so much on your mind.”

“Actually, what was on my mind was the story Jessica told us about Robert Kirk. It seemed odd to me that Brian never mentioned it, considering how much he’s into all that. It would fit right in with how he sees the world. Harvest celebrations, Druids and pagan rites—someone being taken by fairies would be something he couldn’t resist.”

“Perhaps that is why he does not know.”

“I don’t follow you.”

“You stated his mother discouraged any contact between her sons and your cousins. Perhaps she knew the effect such information would have on her impressionable offspring.”

Kirk closed the drape and returned to the bed. Even with his robe on, he had felt the chill through the windowpanes; the Vulcan’s heat was a welcoming embrace as he disrobed, slid under the covers and pulled Spock into his arms. “I don’t want to talk about my cousins anymore.”

Spock allowed the kiss as Kirk knew he would; it was a ploy he’d used before, when he wanted to distract his lover’s keen mind from a particular subject. Knowing Spock was enthralled by his body’s response to Kirk, it was easy enough to divert his attention onto himself.

As he did now. He slid atop Spock, spreading his legs so that they held Spock’s hips in place as he aligned their cocks against one another. He was already hard and so was Spock. One hand on each side of Spock’s face, Kirk deepened the kiss, at the same time beginning a slow grind against the body beneath his.

Spock’s hands found their way to his ass and Kirk arched into the fingers that dug into his flesh. His own hands moved up to entangle in Spock’s hair, grabbing hard enough to hurt if it had been anyone but Spock. The thick strands were an anchor to hold onto as what began as a gentle glide of bodies became a frenzy of motion.

Neither pulled back from the kiss, but gave into it, intensifying their contact. Kirk plunged his tongue in deeper, forcing Spock’s mouth wider until it seemed as if they would devour each other.

Lack of oxygen finally drove them apart. Kirk threw his head back, gasping in air as he continued his furious thrusts against his lover. Spock’s grip had moved to his hips and Kirk knew he’d have bruises there, the Vulcan’s fingers so tightly gripped his body. But it was just one more thing Kirk loved about what they shared; Spock’s strength was yet again working in tandem with his, rushing them both toward a common goal.

Finally, Kirk felt the rush of orgasm course through his body. It wrung a cry from him as his world narrowed to the sensation centered between his legs. He came in a succession of fierce waves, his cock pulsing out its load between their bodies.

Spock held on for a few seconds longer, gathering a slumped Kirk even more tightly against him. He buried his head against Kirk’s neck while continuing to pull Kirk’s body against his own. Once, twice, then he stiffened and Kirk felt the hot emissions join his own as Spock moaned out his release.

He let Spock push him off and he plopped onto his back, boneless. He lazily watched as, without bothering with a robe, Spock proceeded into the bathroom. Kirk heard the sound of running water and then Spock padded back, wash cloth in hand, and cleaned them both off before rejoining Kirk in bed. He settled the blankets meticulously around them, making sure they were both well covered before lying down fully. He slipped one arm beneath Kirk’s shoulders, the other across Kirk’s waist and pulled him close. “You will sleep now.”

“Is that an order?” Kirk asked, not really caring whether it was or not.

“Merely a suggestion. But I have found you do tend to sleep quite well after sexual congress.”

“That’s true.” And somehow, Kirk felt, it would be okay to fall asleep now. He relaxed into Spock’s arms, thankful for the Vulcan’s presence and the strength generously given without having to be asked for. Somehow, Spock just knew.

But as Kirk drifted off to sleep, it occurred to him that their lovemaking may not had been as much his idea as he thought. Somehow, Spock had just known to give that, too.

^^^^^

 

[ ](http://pics.livejournal.com/gilda_elise/pic/00047hba/)

They walked steadily along the narrow road that turned into little more than a grassy rut once they had crossed the bridge over the River Forth; whatever traffic had once found its way down this narrow path had deserted it a long time ago. Kirk idly wondered if this was such a good suggestion after all. But knowing what lay at its end, he refused to turn back.

The lush vegetation slowed their progress. Hidden depressions waited for the unwary and the sun, let loose by the dissipation of the threatening clouds of the previous three days, beat down unobstructed. So it was a relief when they entered the canopy of trees that was slowly encroaching upon the little-used passage. Nature was taking back its own.

Kirk thought about his cousin as he carefully picked his way over the rock-strewn path. He wondered at Jessica’s reluctance in telling them of the road’s existence. He’d attributed it at first to the conversation they’d had the day he and Spock had arrived. Twice, the village and its history had come up and both times she had been affected.

Vestiges of that more somber mood had clung to her over the weekend as she and Stephen had taken him and Spock around to visit their friends and neighbors. A neighbor had even remarked about it to him but then had chalked it up to the recent loss of her brother. Somehow, Kirk didn’t think that was it, not entirely, anyway. She tried to pretend nothing was wrong but from time to time he’d catch her lost in thought, a look of quiet despair on her face.

The day before had been better. They had gone back to Stirling for a thorough investigation of the castle, spending hours exploring the huge fortress. While Jessica had used most of the time to rest on one of the benches overlooking the bowling green, she had appeared to be shaking off whatever it was that was affecting her—until, turning into the road back to their home, Spock had asked where the decaying pathway to the left led.

But seeing the road now, he thought he understood; the village was slowly dying and this was a stark reminder.

“We should be approaching the cemetery,” Spock commented.

Kirk startled. Neither had spoken since they had entered the more wooded area, as if the forest they traversed demanded a certain reverence. “It’ll be off to the left. Jessica said the remains of the church are still visible from the road. We shouldn’t have any trouble finding it.”

Spock scanned the area around them. “I remember my astonishment at the verdant expanse that surrounds San Francisco when I first visited this planet. It is nothing compared to this, however.”

“No, there aren’t too many places on Earth that can compare to this.” He pushed a branch out of his way. “It certainly didn’t take long for the trees to take over.”

“I take it this area was once more heavily populated?”

“It’s never been much more than a village. I don’t know why people started leaving.” Kirk had continued to watch for the church and jogged to the left. “I see it.”

They pushed their way through the bracken and low hanging limbs. The trees almost completely blotted out the sun but Kirk doggedly pressed forward, the one wall of the church always kept in sight, until the forest opened up. He halted, stunned. It was like stepping back in time.

Someone must have been keeping the place up; the tree line marched up to the very edge of the cemetery, only to be stopped as if by some invisible hand. Moss and lichen covered some of the headstones but the church remains were scraped clean. It was small and missing its roof, yet it was still undeniably a church, even if now it only stood guard over the canted gravestones that surrounded it.

Kirk moved to his right and had to stop himself from having Spock fall in behind him as if they were on a survey of some unknown planet. Instead, the Vulcan made directly for the church.

For the next hour, each made his own way through the cemetery. From time to time, Kirk would try to make out the name carved into a stone. Some were still legible but many weren’t. One thing he did figure out, it had been a good five hundred years since anyone had been buried in this place.

“Jim, over here.”

Kirk left the grave site he’d been studying and followed the sound of Spock’s voice. He found him down on one knee before an unusually impressive headstone.

“What it is?”

Spock pointed at the stone’s inscription. “Robert Kirk.”

Kirk felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. “The one taken by the fairies. I wonder how they explained having a body to bury.”

“I do not know.” Spock shifted around to face him. “Your cousin and her husband will be gone for the evening. Perhaps I will take the opportunity to peruse their library. According to Stephen, there is quite a collection regarding your family’s history.”

“Good a way as any to pass the time, I suppose.” Kirk winked.

Spock stood up, giving him a look that said “why do I even bother” while he brushed the dirt from his hands. “Are you ready to proceed?”

Behind them, Doon Hill rose above the trees. Jessica’s startled look when he’d asked about it had surprised him. She’d reluctantly given its name and history and told them about the path that wound directly from the cemetery to its base. Kirk turned, looking at it in a new way. When he had stood in the garden after breakfast, it had appeared so harmless, and he had thought a walk to the hill a good idea. He wasn’t sure what he thought anymore.

“Jim?”

Kirk mentally shook himself and forced a smile. “Sure, let’s go.”

^^^^^

 

[ ](http://pics.livejournal.com/gilda_elise/pic/00048676/)

“What are you reading now?” Kirk peered over Spock’s shoulder at the large tome nestled on his lap.

Spock, firmly ensconced in the big, plump reading chair that dominated this corner of the bedroom, lifted the book to allow Kirk a better view. “It is a history of the area.”

Kirk gave it a glance before continuing on to the bed. He took off his robe, threw it on the settee pushed against the opposing wall, and crawled under the covers. Lacing his hands behind his head, he gave the Vulcan a bemused smile. “Anything interesting?”

“Quite fascinating, actually. I was not aware of the myriad legends that originated in this area of your planet. I believe even Brian would find many that are unknown to him”

“Well, let’s not tell him, okay?”

“Very well.” Spock marked his place and closed the book. “Though I do not understand your current disillusionment with his somewhat esoteric belief system.”

Kirk brought his arms down and leaned forward to rest them on his knees. “I don’t have anything against what he believes. Not exactly.”

“What then?”

“He’s letting it take over his life, Spock. I have to admit, I don’t blame Ted all that much for leaving. It’s one thing to celebrate an old pagan festival; it’s something else to actually believe in the old gods and fairies who cross over during Samhain. I don’t even want to think what he’d do with that out there.” He waved one arm in the direction of the window.

The drapes were closed but both knew Doon Hill could be seen from here, even at night. Spotlighted by moonlight, it was a dark, brooding shape that loomed over the countryside. Kirk shuddered.

“Are you all right, Jim?”

“I’m fine. Just tired. That was some walk we took today.”

They had walked the half kilometer to the knoll after leaving the cemetery. The thick underbrush and low hanging branches had made the going more difficult than Kirk had thought it would be, but that wasn’t what had tired him; he’d walked further and on rougher terrain many times on planet surveys.

“I find that…unexpected.”

“Do you?”

“We did not walk that far, Jim.”

Kirk shrugged and then spoke around a yawn. “Maybe I’m more out of shape than I thought.”

It wasn’t that, and Kirk knew it. It was the growing uneasiness that had started at his forebear’s tomb that had conspired to sap the strength right out of him. That, and the feeling of being watched, had his body reacting to the slightest noise or movement. Worse, it had brought to mind memories of the cave on Triacus where he had been overcome by a debilitating anxiety. Once at the hill, all he had wanted to do was grab Spock and get the hell out of there.

He hadn’t, of course. Instead, he’d allowed Spock almost an hour to explore wherever his insatiable curiosity led him. Kirk had sweated out the time and never let Spock out of his sight. When they had finally left, he’d had to force himself to walk at a steady pace.

“Perhaps.” Spock seemed to study him for a moment before reopening his book. “If you do not mind, I wish to finish this chapter before I retire.”

“Knock yourself out.” Kirk laid down and pulled the covers up over his head. “Just remember to turn off the light when you come to bed.”

“I always remember.”

“No you don’t,” Kirk mumbled back. If Spock responded, he didn’t hear it.

^^^^^

Spock heard Jessica and Stephen return around midnight but looked up only long enough to ascertain the time. Later, he stopped to get a glass of water and to check on Kirk. His lover was sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling in an even rhythm, the exertion of the day guaranteeing an uninterrupted repose.

There was only another hundred pages to the book; it would be illogical to stop with so little left, so Spock returned to his chair and, picking up the book, continued.

It was almost one when he finally put the book down, his reading completed. The entire account was fascinating, though parts he had found disturbing. The people of this area had once resigned themselves to living with an unknown force within their midst. But whether that force was for good or evil was something they had apparently not been able to agree upon, even when they believed it had taken some of their own. It said much that Robert Kirk’s death had been noted only in passing; how many others had gone missing but for whatever reason never reported?

He stood and put the book back in the press cupboard next to the settee. He picked up Kirk’s robe and placed it with his own at the foot of the bed before joining his lover.

Kirk slept turned toward the window. Spock couldn’t see his face but his body appeared relaxed and his sleep was undisturbed. Whatever had been bothering him those two nights had apparently ceased. Spock settled under the covers and was asleep almost instantly.

When he woke three hours later the light in the bathroom was on. Spock turned slightly and looked over his shoulder. The other side of the bed was vacant.

He lay there, no longer sleepy, and waited for Kirk to return. It was much too early for Kirk to consider rising; even on the ship, he normally slept until six. Five minutes passed, then ten. Yet still Kirk remained in the bathroom. The strange occurrence in the Stirling hotel came to mind and suddenly Spock did not wish to wait for his lover to return on his own. He got up, hurriedly shrugging into his robe as he approached the closed door of the bathroom.

“Jim, is everything all right? Jim?”

Spock listened. Nothing. No sounds at all came from the other side. He didn’t bother to ask again. He turned the knob and pushed open the door.

“Jim?” He stepped into the room. It was empty.

It never occurred to Spock to think that maybe Kirk had gone to the kitchen for something to eat or, unable to sleep, had taken himself off to the library to read; later, he would wonder at his response to Kirk’s disappearance. But thought had nothing to do with his frantic redressing or his flight up the stairs to his hosts’ bedroom.

His barely controlled knocking was answered by Stephen, who was still tying his robe closed as he opened the door. “Spock? He squinted around him into the dimly lit hallway. “What’s going on? Where’s Jim?”

“I do not know. I awoke to find him gone.”

“Did you check the rest of the house?” Stephen ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe he’s in the kitchen.”

“He is not in the house.” Spock took a deep breath. “There is something amiss.”

Stephen glanced behind him and then moved out into the hall. He closed the door and pulled Spock toward the stairs. “Come on. Let’s go downstairs. I don’t want to disturb Jessie.”

Downstairs, he motioned Spock into the library. “All right. What’s going on? And why do you think something’s wrong?”

“I do not know why. But there is something wrong. It is not like Jim to leave without notifying me.”

“You were asleep, weren’t you? Maybe he didn’t want to disturb you.”

“No, he would know that I would prefer to be wakened.”

“But where would he go? He’s got to be in the house somewhere.”

Spock’s lips pressed into a tight line. This was getting them nowhere. “You must listen to me. Jim is gone; he is not in the house. He is nowhere near the house. Do not ask how I know this; suffice to say that I do. We must find him. Quickly.”

“Okay, okay.” Stephen rubbed his chin in thought. “The sun should be up within the hour; there’s no point going out before then because we’d just be stumbling around in the dark.” He patted the air when Spock begin to protest. “I know, you think we should start now. But, Spock, we don’t have a clue as to where he’s gone. Tell you what, I’ll make some calls, see if I can get some help.” He started to leave but hesitated at the door. “I know you’re worried ‘n maybe you have every right to be. But I’d like to keep Jessie out of this as long as I can. In her condition….”

“I understand. But I cannot wait. You must do what you must but so must I. I cannot remain here, doing nothing, all the while knowing that his life is in danger.”

“Even if that’s true, you don’t know your way around here; you could become as lost as you think he is.”

“Nevertheless, I must try.”

Stephen nodded and left. Spock made his way to the front door, stopping only long enough to grab his coat from the coat rack standing in the foyer. He stepped outside. In the slowly creeping light of daybreak, the shadows tenaciously clung to their roosts and Spock wondered if he were already too late.

^^^^^

Spock strode through the open field of knee-high grass. Off in the distance, he occasionally heard one of the searchers call out Kirk’s name. They had been looking for Kirk for almost twelve hours.

At first, they had concentrated their search along the river after one of Kirk’s shoes was found along its banks, not far from the bridge. But though they had followed its winding path for several miles, nothing more was found.

As the day wore on, Spock noticed the men quietly whispering to themselves. Perhaps they wondered at his continued resilience; of all of them, he was the only one who refused to return to the house for food or rest. Stephen entreated him to do so, if not for himself then to quiet Jessica’s growing fears. He refused.

They did not understand. He had his Vulcan strength and stamina to sustain him. And even if he did not, nothing could overcome the ties that bound him to Kirk and made any other recourse unthinkable. He would not stop. Not now, not ever. He would continue to look for his lover until he was found.

Yet Spock knew his boast a shallow one. As he looked to the west, he noted with dismay the sun lowering toward the horizon. He had perhaps another two hours before he would have to give up the search for the night. He decided to alter his course, away from the river and toward another of the lochs the verdant forest wore like a necklace. He would walk its banks and wade into its shallow waters, searching for any sign of Kirk’s passage. If he found nothing he would head north, back to the Owen’s home.

He was perhaps halfway to his destination when he heard shouting to his right.

“Over here! I found him!”

Spock pushed his way through trees that seemed to grab at his clothes to slow his progress; the windswept moorland had become his enemy. Time stretched out before him as despair fought with elation. Kirk had to be all right.

When he found them, a man hovered over Kirk’s prone form: a neighbor, one of the men who had answered their call for help without hesitation. The man was down on one knee with his hand placed along Kirk’s neck, feeling for a pulse. A few other men congregated a little ways away, speaking softly. They quieted as soon as they saw Spock.

Alerted by the silence, the man turned at Spock’s approach. He stood up and stepped away from the body.

“Jim?” Spock fell to his knees and gently turned his lover’s body. Kirk’s eyes were closed. Spock heard one of the men clear his throat.

“I think he’s dead.”

Spock didn’t want to believe it. But the coldness of the body in his arms and the absence of that indefinable quality that had always clung to his lover belied any hope. A chill seemed to fill Spock, as if the heat of his body was being leached away by the still form he held and he felt his entire world go numb. He welcomed it, knowing it held at bay the tearing pain that awaited him.

He brushed away the dirt from Kirk’s face. He looked only asleep. Whatever had taken him and done so swiftly. But why? And why had Kirk ventured out alone in this way, without a word? He didn’t understand. The questions chased around in his mind like a mantra as he held his lover’s body at the foot of Doon Hill.

^^^^^

“Spock, you need to let go of him.”

Spock stirred and stared up at Stephen. “What did you say?”

“They’re here to take his body, Spock. They need you to let go of him.”

Only then did he notice the three men in uniform standing behind Stephen. Spock looked down at the man in his arms. “Where will they take him?”

“To Stirling.”

Spock struggled to make sense of it all. “Should I not go with him?”

Stephen knelt next to him. “No, you need to come with me. Back to the house. Jessie’s waiting for us.” He tried pulling Spock’s arm from around the body. “He’ll be all right there, Spock. I promise.”

Before Spock knew what was happening, the three men were crouched around him and Kirk was being lifted from his arms. He started to protest but Stephen put his arm in front of him to hold him back. Spock didn’t seem to have the strength to push him away.

“It’s all right; you’ll have him back on the morrow. He’ll only be gone a little while,” Stephen soothed.

“Will you be wanting a ride, sir?” one of the men asked.

“No, I think the walk will do him good. He needs time to adjust to it all.”

Once the men were gone, Stephen helped him up and Spock allowed himself to be led back to the house.

He walked in a fog, seeing little of the forest around them. The advancing twilight added to the unreality, turning the trees to stark sentries along his path. By the time the house came into view, his mind and body were both ready to give out. His strength, his support, was gone.

The door opened just as they reach the house’s long, gravel driveway. Jessica stepped out and waited on the porch step as they slowly approached. Drawing nearer, he saw that her eyes were red and swollen, but even as he passed her neither found cause for words. His pain was not hers but she had known its kin. Spock felt her hand on his arm as she led him toward the room he had shared with Kirk. Once inside, she guided him in the direction of the bed.

“No.”

“You need rest.” Jessica finally spoke.

Spock drew a shaky breath. “There is much to be done. I…I should inform Starfleet. They will wish an inquiry made.”

“Someone else can do it.”

“No, it is my duty. And it would be his wish.” Yet he did not stir from where he stood.

He thought she would argue with him, but after a moment she merely nodded and turned toward the com link tucked in the corner. She turned it on, then hesitated. “This inquiry, what will they do?”

“I am not sure. Perhaps speak with those who found hi…his body.”

“Will there be an autopsy?”

He was surprised enough to be pulled from his lethargy. “Why do you ask?”

She wavered a moment. “It would not be the first time a Kirk has died on the Hill.”

He felt a pang of disappointment; he had thought better of her. But perhaps grief had clouded her judgment. “That is mere legend, Jessica. It has no bearing on what happened today.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” She tightened her lips. “All I know is, my brother was afraid to come back here. And now this happens.”

“I do not know what your brother’s objections were to returning but I am sure they had nothing to do with,” he swallowed, “with what happened today. You are here,” he reminded her.

She absently soothed her hand over her belly. “I’m a woman. I don’t think whatever it is wants women.” She frowned. “I wouldn’t let them tell me if the baby’s a boy or a girl; if it’s a boy, I knew I’d have to leave this place.” She looked up at Spock then. “But now, it has what it wants, doesn’t it? It’ll leave us alone. For awhile, anyway.”

He could only think the loss of her brother had unhinged her mind to a degree. “You must not think that. Jim is only…dead.”

“I hope you’re right.” She smiled bitterly. “I’m not crazy, Spock. But I’ve lived here all my life. There is something different here; you can feel it in the very air.” She started to the door. “I’ll leave you to your privacy.”

She stopped as she passed the bed. “Trent always stayed in this room when he came to visit; it was so much bigger than the one he’d used as a child. But then he stopped coming. The dreams became too much, you see.”

Spock started. “Dreams?”

“Aye, nightmares that would make your blood curdle, or so he said. He couldn’t remember most of what happened in them but they scared the very breath out of him.” She looked back at Spock. “He left in the middle of the night after the last one as if the very devil was after him.”

^^^^^

McCoy took in the large stone house with its twin gables and bay windows. Damn thing even had a dormer stuck in the middle. You’re just looking for something to hate about the place. As if the reason for his presence wasn’t reason enough.

He shivered in the evening chill. Though after twenty-one hundred hours, the sun was only now beginning to set and dusk imbued an other timely look. To add to his confusion, it had been barely noon when he had stepped on the transporter in San Francisco. He gave the place another look and then approached the front door. He lightly knocked.

A man about the same age as Kirk, though taller and with a certain hardness to his features, answered. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Dr. Leonard McCoy. Spock sent for me. He’s here, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is. I’m sorry, please, come in.” He stepped aside and motioned McCoy in, closing the door behind him. “I’m Stephen Owen. Jessie, Jim’s cousin, is my wife.”

McCoy nodded. “Jim’s told me about her. Said they were close as children.”

“That they were. Jessie’s broken up something fierce over what’s happened. Maybe you could help her, too?”

“Son, I’m going to have trouble with this, myself. But I’ll do what I can.” He looked around. “Where is everyone?”

“This way.”

Stephen led him to a set of double doors on their right. Inside, a very pregnant woman sat next to Spock. She crunched a small linen handkerchief in her fist and her eyes were red, but McCoy could see the iron beneath her soft facade. Behind them, another man walked aimlessly back and forth. It was Brian. McCoy had met him a couple of times when he’d gone to visit Kirk and Spock at the farm but he didn’t know him well.

Brian’s head came up when McCoy and Stephen entered. McCoy nodded to him but his attention was already on Spock. The Vulcan sat quietly, his hands folded in his lap.

McCoy took a seat next to Spock. “I got your message, Spock.”

Spock turned toward him and McCoy’s throat tightened. The Vulcan looked to have aged ten years.

“I am pleased you have come.” Spock’s voice was hoarse. From what, McCoy didn’t want to know.

“You knew I would. I’m sorry it took so long for me to get here.” McCoy softly answered. He glanced across Spock to the woman on his other side. “You’re Jessica, right?”

She took a breath and tried to smile. “That’s right. Jim’s…Jim was my cousin.”

She would have been beautiful if it weren’t for the ravages of grief, McCoy noted. “I know. Jim told me.”

“He told me about you, too,” she whispered. “And Brian.” She motioned to the man behind her. “That’s why I called him. I thought,” she covered her mouth for a moment, “I thought it was best if he knew, too. Him taking care of Jim’s place and all.”

“That was a good idea, Jessica.” He gave her a small smile and then turned his attention back to Spock. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“I do not know. I woke this morning and Jim was gone. When we found him, he was already dead.”

“Has there been an autopsy?”

“No, I wished you to perform it.”

McCoy took a deep breath. He’d thought he’d dodged that particular bullet when Kirk had made it safely back to Earth at the end of the five year mission. It seemed it was a role he was destined to fill. “All right, if that’s what you want.”

Spock seemed suddenly unsure. “If you do not mind, Doctor. I do not think I could tolerate anyone else,” he swallowed, hard, “handling him in that manner.”

“I’d be honored, Spock.” McCoy looked up at Stephen. “Where is Jim?”

“In Stirling. There’s no morgue in Aberfoyle.”

“I’ll go there right now.” McCoy made to get up but was stopped by Spock’s hand on his arm.

“I wish you to make sure it is him, Doctor. Run whatever tests you need in order to prove it is him beyond any doubt.”

McCoy was surprised when Jessica went white at Spock’s words but appeared to approve of his request. She touched Spock’s arm to get his attention and gave him a shaky smile. Her husband seemed aggrieved while Brian only looked as puzzled as McCoy felt.

“Of course it’s him. Why wouldn’t it be?” McCoy responded.

“I only wish to be certain. Please, Doctor, humor me in this if you must. I would not ask if I did not think it warranted.”

“All right, Spock. I’ll do as you ask.”

McCoy stood and, catching Stephen’s eye, had him follow him from the room. He waiting until the man had closed the doors behind them before he spoke. “What was all that about?”

“It’s nonsense. I can’t believe Jessie would encourage him that way; it’s not like her at all.”

“I don’t understand. Encourage him about what?”

Stephen made a sound of exasperation. “There’s an old legend that says one of their ancestors, a Reverend Robert Kirk, was taken by the fairies while he walked on Doon Hill. That’s where we found Jim.”

“What’s that got to do with Spock wanting me to make sure it’s him?”

“The story goes on that it wasn’t Reverend Kirk’s body they’d found. That it was a stock left by the fairies that was found and buried.”

“A what?”

“A stock.” Stephen grasped at the air as if trying to pluck an answer from it. “A magical substitute made to resemble him.”

“You mean like a changeling? That’s poppycock! I can’t believe Spock would buy into any of that.”

“He’s grieving. I’ve never seen a man react the way he has. He seems calm but it’s a strange sort of calm. Like a suit of armor protecting him. As if it’s the only thing keeping him together.”

“I suppose I should have seen it coming. They’re close in ways the rest of us can’t even imagine.” McCoy grimaced. “I might as well get on with it. Starfleet’s allowing me special use of their transporter system, so I can go there directly from here.” He walked a couple of feet away and pulled out a communicator. “Damn, I never thought I’d see the day I’d be using one of these things when I didn’t have to. But I guess I have to, don’t I?”

“He must have been a very important man.”

McCoy smiled sadly. “That he was.”

He opened the communicator and gave the person who answered his next destination. Then he was gone.

^^^^^

McCoy materialized in front of an old building. Hell, around here, they’re all old buildings. Still, he supposed the dead didn’t care one way or the other. He shivered. Damn, it was cold. He could have sworn Scotty said they were having a mild spring. He pulled his coat closer and shoved his hands under his armpits. He really didn’t want to go in.

A few minutes later, someone stepped out of the building. With a quick glance around the man moved down the steps and hurried by, giving McCoy an odd look as he passed. _Probably wonders what I’m doing freezing my ass off out here._ It gave him the incentive to move, to climb the short flight of stairs to the porch and enter the building.

Inside was exactly as he imagined. Morgues were pretty much the same all over the galaxy. A bored clerk sat behind a long counter, his elbow propped on its surface, reading from a comp pad. Probably the latest mystery novel. A large cup of coffee sat half-empty.

McCoy approached the clerk and handed him his credentials. “I’m here to do the autopsy on James Kirk.”

“Kirk, you say?” The young man put down the pad and turned to his computer. “Aye, brought him in last night. Room three. Second door on the right.” He pointed to a long hallway to his left.

McCoy nodded and started down the corridor. He slowed as he neared the room. Damn, but he didn’t want to do this. Kirk had been one of the best friends he’d ever had. He didn’t think he’d known a more vital, more alive man; his corpse was not the last image McCoy wanted to have of him. “Damn it, Jim. Why couldn’t you have just once kept out of harm’s way?” he whispered.

He wiped at his suddenly tearing eyes, pushed open the door and walked in.

It wasn’t a large room and there was only one table. Instruments surrounded the metal stand placed in the center of the room, a white shroud hiding the body it cradled. McCoy approached the table and carefully folded back the sheet.

There were no outward signs of injury, but McCoy would never have mistaken this for slumber. The light tan that normally enhanced Kirk’s skin was gone. Rigor was still present[,] though only minimally. He gently rolled the body onto its side. There, on its lower left side, the scar from the wound Kirk had received from the Orion’s knife. This was Kirk. Spock’s wishful thinking wasn’t going to change that.

He shook his head in sorrow and regret. “Oh, Jim. What in hell happened to you?”

Not giving himself time to think about what he was doing, he set about answering his own question. He picked up the first instrument.

^^^^^

“Spock, can I talk to you?”

Spock looked up. Brian stood at the library door. It was late. Spock had stayed up to wait for McCoy’s return but though it was almost three hundred hours, there had been no word from the doctor. Spock had hoped he could avoid contact with the others; his control was suspect and their sincere, though unnecessary, concern contrived to made it worse. Apparently, it was not to be.

Only vaguely wondering what Brian might have to say, Spock put down the book he hadn’t really been reading and gave Brian his full attention.

Brian took the chair across from Spock. He was obviously uneasy. “I wanted to know…I want to know what it is you think McCoy will find.”

He should have seen this coming. Given Brian’s preoccupation with the old legends and superstitions of his people, he would have latched onto Spock’s momentary aberration without question. Spock wished there was something he could tell the troubled young man but, truthfully, he didn’t know what McCoy would find. Kirk was dead and Spock would one day come to accept that. But how Kirk died was another matter.

“I was not thinking clearly when I spoke those words.”

Brian leaned eagerly forward. “But you must have had a reason for saying them.”

“Reason had nothing to do with it. Jim’s death has affected me more than even I could have foreseen; I am not myself. When given information that, on the surface, appeared to bring into question Jim’s demise, I allowed myself to see hope where there was none.”

“Then someone did say something to you.” Brian gave him an exasperated look. “Come on, Spock, I have the right to know.”

Spock searched Brian’s face. They were not close but he understood the man well enough to know he would never let this go. He could see it in the stubborn set of his features; Brian would continue to probe until he learned what he wished to know. Too tired to fight and still within the thrall of numbing shock, he gave in. “Very well. I was informed that, before he fled this place, Trent Kirk, Jessica’s brother, had been plagued by dreams.”

Brian drew back. “Dreams? What kind of dreams?”

“I do not know. She said he was unable to remember them upon waking.”

“What does this have to do with Jim’s death?”

“Trent Kirk refused to return to this place. He fled ‘as if the very devil was after him’ was how she put it. Something had terrified the man so much he refused to return to the home he loved.” Spock leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “Do you remember on the day we left Jim mentioning that he had had a nightmare?”

“Yes, I do.”

“He had another that same night. He, too, did not remember what happened in them but they frightened him.”

“I don’t understand.”

Spock hesitated. Speaking of it was painful. And he did not wish to stir the embers of his hope. “Jessica is of the mind that there is…something here. Something that has stayed quiescent for almost six hundred years but has now come to life. She believes it took a Kirk then, just as now.”

“Another Kirk?”

“An ancestor. He was known to take walks on Doon Hill, a knoll approximately a kilometer south of here. He was found there one morning, dead. The locals believe he was taken by,” Spock’s face pinched in distaste, “the fairies who are believed to inhabit the area.”

“And what do you believe?”

“That I was willing to accept just about anything if it meant that Jim still lived. I was in error.”

“No, you weren’t.”

Both men looked toward the door at the announcement. It was Dr. McCoy.

^^^^^

“So, that pretty much sums it up.” McCoy sat back and looked around at them, expectantly. He could just imagine all the questions they would have; he certainly had plenty of his own.

Jessica sat across from him, Stephen at her side, her husband’s hand tightly clutched in hers. McCoy and Spock had thought it best to have the two of them in on the conversation but, given the time, they had decided to wait until at least dawn to rouse the couple from their sleep.

Spock and McCoy had waited downstairs while the couple dressed and prepared for the day. McCoy used the time to finish his report to Starfleet while discreetly keeping an eye on Spock, who stood at the window, seemingly fixated by whatever was out there. When she and Stephen came down, Jessica decided to make coffee. By the time the five of them had reconvened in the library, it was well past six.

“So, it has what it wanted,” Jessica responded, though more to herself than McCoy.

“Whatever it is.” McCoy leaned forward. “I don’t know who left that…thing out there. Or how they managed it. But you’ve got to be talking about a technologically advanced culture; the replication of Jim’s body was extraordinary. The only reason I caught it was because I did a DNA check. Up until then, I would have sworn it was Jim Kirk. Now? Who knows.”

“We all know what it is,” Brian, settled a little apart in an overstuffed chair, muttered under his breath.

“Do we?” McCoy shot back. “Just because whatever it is has been here for centuries doesn’t mean it didn’t originally come from some place else.”

“It doesn’t mean it did, either. You’ve completely closed your mind to the possibility that whatever took Jim is part of this place,” Brian argued.

McCoy made a noise of exasperation and turned to Spock. “What about you, Spock? You haven’t said a word about any of this. What do you think?”

Spock still stood apart from the rest, a sentinel at the front window. When he spoke, his words were hesitant, as if he were fighting off the affects of shock. “At this point in time, Doctor, I am not unduly concerned as to whether whatever did this was originally from Earth or somewhere else. All I wish to know is, is Jim still alive?”

McCoy shook his head. “I don’t know, Spock. Maybe. Thing is, if he is still alive, where is he?”

“Wouldn’t he still be alive?” Jessica responded. “Why else leave a stock in his place?”

“That’s what happened the last time.” At the look of surprise on McCoy’s face, Brian added, “While you and Spock were busy getting Jessica and Stephen, I took the liberty of going through some of the records regarding my family’s past.”

“Those are just legends, Brian.”

“Legends are often based on actual events,” Spock remarked. “It will not have been the first time we have encountered such a situation.”

Apollo. McCoy remembered the regret they had all felt in having to destroy that particular “legend.” “Okay, I grant that something like that can happen. But why here? And why Jim?” McCoy turned to Jessica. “Why do they believe the original Kirk was taken?”

She shot a glance at Spock before responding. “Robert Kirk was thought to have the Second Sight. Supposedly, he used the Sight to communicate with the fairies and learn their secrets, which he then divulged in a book. When his body was discovered on Doon Hill, it was believed the fairies had taken their revenge by abducting him and holding him captive under the Knowe and leaving a changeling in his stead.”

“The ‘Knowe’?”

“Doon Hill,” Spock responded from his place at the window. “You can see it from here, even at night.”

Brian stood and moved to Spock’s side. He pushed the curtain open wider. “It’s almost like it’s watching this place.”

“Not just this place.” Jessica took a hitching breath. “The whole village.”

“Stop it!” McCoy felt himself shiver. “Damn, you all are giving me the willies. I don’t know why they took Jim and I don’t know where they took him. But I do know there’s got to be a logical explanation for all of this.” He shook his head. “Lord, I’m startin’ to sound like you, Spock. Which is really strange considering you seem to be buying into all of this.”

Spock finally turned from his inspection of the knowe. “Starfleet will demand answers. They will send those capable of ferreting them out. Whether they are logical or not, Doon Hill will not be allowed to retain its secrets.” He looked back out the window. “Or Jim.”

^^^^^

“I thought they’d be here by now.” McCoy moved away from the window where he’d gone once more to peer out.

Spock took a deep breath, fighting lethargy. “It will take several hours for Starfleet to gather both the expertise and the equipment needed to uncover whatever lies within Doon Hill. It has only been three point six hours since you notified them of your findings.”

McCoy took a seat next to him. “Well, I wish they’d hurry. I can’t wait to get Jim back and get the hell out of here.”

“You surprise me, Doctor. I understand the urgency in retrieving Jim; I share it. But I did not think you would condemn an entire village for the actions of one entity.”

“You don’t know if it’s just one, Spock. Besides,” he crossed his arms and rubbed them vigorously, “I’m beginning to think Jessica is right. It’s not just the house, it’s the whole damn place. Like it’s been cursed or something.”

“You are speaking nonsense, McCoy.”

“Call it what you want. But the longer I’m here, the less I like it.”

“You do not need to stay if you find it distressful,” Spock gently responded. “I am grateful, more than I can say, for the service you provided. Not just for Jim, but for myself as well. I would not want that service to be paid back in such damaging coin.”

“Don’t be an ass, Spock. I’m stayin’ ‘til we find Jim.”

Spock would have been surprised at any other answer. Nevertheless, it was heartening to know he would not have to pass the hours until Kirk’s return alone. McCoy was friend to both of them. Only he could begin to understand what it was Spock was going through.

“Where’s Brian?”

Spock shot him a look. “I do not know, Doctor. He spoke of taking a walk into town earlier, but I do not know if that is in fact what he did.”

McCoy shook his head. “There’s something decidedly odd about that boy.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know. There’s just something about him. He’s…twitchy. And he’s got some of the oddest ideas I’ve ever run across.”

“He spoke to you of them?”

“Did he ever. Wouldn’t shut up about them.”

“When was this?”

“Right after our little gathering this morning. He’s bought into this changeling idea, hook, line and sinker. As far as he’s concerned, Jim’s been spirited away by the fairies.”

“I cannot say I am surprised. He has always held beliefs that are outside the norm, to say the least.”

McCoy didn’t reply, seemingly lost in thought.

Spock sensed himself starting to slip back into the mental fog that was now his almost constant companion when he felt McCoy grab his arm.

“I want you to show me where you found Jim.”

“Why would you wish to see the place?”

McCoy shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe so I’ll have some idea where all this is coming from, so it’ll seem more real, instead of like I’ve stepped into someone’s idea of a horror movie.”

“You wish to go now?”

“Yes, right now. I sure don’t want to go there when it’s dark.”

Spock didn’t want to go there anytime, but he imagined he’d be forced to sooner or later. Starfleet would insist on someone showing their people the exact site. He reluctantly nodded and stood up. “Very well. It is not far, no more than forty minutes away.”

They walked into the foyer and got their coats. As they approached the front door, someone knocked. They looked at each other and then Spock stepped forward to open the door.

“Would Mr. Owen be in?” the man asked. He was perhaps sixty, but had a hardiness to him. Mud caked the bottom of his trouser legs and his hands were dirty. About ten feet away, two other men, both younger, stood unobtrusively back against an old and weather-beaten cart.

“He is upstairs attending to his wife. May I be of service?”

The man gave him a jaundiced eye. “Me and the lads,” he hitched his thumb behind him, “found somethin’ this morning we thought Stephen would want to see.”

“May I ask what it was?”

“I don’t know. Don’t know who you happen to be.”

“I am a guest of Jessica Owen. I came here with her cousin, James.”

The man’s eyes lit up. “Och, that’s all right then.” He grabbed Spock’s arm and started pulling him outside.

Something was bundled in the cart and covered with a tarp that at one time must have been either black or gray. It was hard to tell with all the dirt and grime that now encrusted it.

“What it is?” McCoy peeked into the cart.

“Who are you?” the older man asked belligerently.

“Dr. Leonard McCoy. And who might you be?” McCoy shot back.

“Donald Ashby, at your service.” He eyed McCoy. “Doctor, huh? Good thing, that.” Stepping forward, Ashby tugged at the tarp to reveal what was below.

“Dear god in heaven.” McCoy stared at what once must have been a man. “Where did you find that?”

“Over there.” Ashby turned and pointed south. “On Doon Hill.”

^^^^^

Spock shivered and moved closer to the fire. He could not seem to get warm.

He checked the time again. It had been several hours since McCoy had left with that…thing to Stirling; Spock could not be any more precise than that. How the doctor could stand to touch it was beyond him. He shook his head. Never would he have believed an event could affect him this way.

He’d frozen the moment the tarp had been released and the corpse below it revealed. Spock had always wondered at the saying, “my blood ran cold.” No longer. For a fraction of a second, he had believed that horror to be what was left of Kirk. His sanity hinged on believing it was not.

But if not Kirk, then who? Spock wasn’t sure he wanted to know. If-no, when-Kirk was returned to him, they would leave this place and never return. Spock did not care how illogical that sounded. He would not stay and he would not allow Kirk to stay.

He had seen much in his travels through space; much of it had been beyond the realm of his understanding. But nothing had ever created such an overwhelming urge to flee as that obscenity had, to get as far away and as fast as he could from it. The galaxy was not big enough. Ironically, he now held the same beliefs he had chastised McCoy for not minutes before.

He thought of Kirk’s cousin. How did she manage to stay here? To marry and bring children into the world with that malignant force so close? If she was to believed, it had tried for her brother and only when it had failed at that had it turned its sights on Kirk. When they got him back, who would it next claim?

He sat back and closed his eyes, thankful that was not a question he need answer. He would work to retrieve Kirk; for that, they would have all his experience and knowledge at their disposal. He would fight the inertia that held his body and mind as best he could until he had his lover back. The rest, he would leave in Starfleet’s capable hands.

The team they had sent had finally arrived, naively excited over what they perceived to be an exotic phenomenon to be studied, rather than feared. Even seeing the body had not dimmed their ardor.

He had tried to warn them, couching his misgivings in the clearest terms possible. They had not listened. There had been pity in their eyes as they had taken their leave; even McCoy had looked at him with concern. He couldn’t blame them. There was no logical reason for his response to the desiccated corpse. Yet, still, he knew with every fiber of his being that he shared a connection to that thing. And that’s what frightened him most of all.

“Spock?”

He turned at the sound of his name. Brian stood at the door, puzzled and a little lost.

“Where is everyone? I was sure I’d be late for breakfast.” He entered the room and took a seat a ways from the fire.

“Jessica and Stephen are upstairs. She was not feeling well last evening.”

“Maybe she’s going to have the baby soon.”

“There is no ‘maybe’ involved. It is only a matter of days, perhaps hours. If you are hungry, you will have to prepare a meal for yourself.”

“That’s okay. I had something at the place where I stayed last night.”

“Why did you not return to the house?”

“I don’t know.” Brian shrugged. “It was late. Easier just to stay in the village.” He looked around the room as if he’d misplaced something. “Where’s Dr. McCoy?”

Spock turned to stare at him coldly. He should have known Brian’s interest would be roused by this latest development, overshadowing any concern for his missing cousin. “Is that your rather transparent way of asking about the body they found?”

Brian gave a small laugh and shrugged again. “I suppose so. It’d be hard not to have heard about it; it’s all over the village. So, what has he found out?”

“I do not know; he has not yet returned.”

“We both know who we think it is.”

“Do we, Brian? I, for one, have no idea who that person once was.”

“You don’t think it’s Jim?”

Spock refused to think that. Whatever that thing was, whoever it was, it was not Kirk.

“I mean, who else could it be?”

“I’m sure there have been many deaths here, Brian.”

They both heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs at a rapid pace. But Spock reached the door before Brian so was first to see the half-ecstatic, half-terrified look on Stephen’s face.

“Jessie’s gone into labor.”

^^^^^

“Dr. McCoy!”

McCoy looked around at the sound of his name. From across the street, Stephen Owen waved at him, then started across the narrow road.

“I thought I’d missed you,” Stephen remarked as he reached the sidewalk and fell into step with McCoy. “Need a ride back to the house?”

McCoy gave a weary smile. “You’re the answer to my prayers, my boy.”

“The aircar’s a short ways in this direction.” He pointed ahead of them.

“What are you doing here, anyway?”

Stephen beamed. “You can be the first to congratulate me. Jessie’s had the baby. It’s a boy.”

“Well, congratulations. When did this happen?”

Stephen looked at his watch. “About three hours ago. She went into labor at about six this morning. I just called home and gave them the good news.”

“That’s great. Got a name for him yet?”

“No, though we’re leaning toward Edmund.”

“Good name.” McCoy frowned. “Wait a minute, she didn’t find out about what they brought to the house, did she?”

“Oh, no. She hadn’t been feeling well most of yesterday; I don’t think she came down again after lunch. No, I’d never let anyone tell her about that.” He stopped. “Is that where you’ve been all this time?”

McCoy grimaced. “Yeah, until about an hour ago. I finished my examination late last night but the Starfleet personnel wanted a thorough, up-to-date report, so I had to wait until they got there. I did manage to catch a few hours sleep in between on the couch in the director’s office, though.”

“How’s Spock handling it?”

“He’s not.” McCoy started walking again. “And, if I have anything to say about it, he won’t. I told those ‘experts’ from Starfleet to leave him alone. They have any questions, they’re to come to me for the answers. Spock’s just barely hanging on by a thread. Who knows how he’d react, having to go over the events of that night over and over again.”

“Sounds like you’re playing the same part I am. I don’t want Jessie involved with any of this. The longer I can keep this from her, the better.”

“No offense, but she’s got some strange ideas about this, anyway, doesn’t she?”

Stephen nodded reluctantly. “That all started after Trent died. But after yesterday, who’s to say what’s strange and what isn’t?” He cast a glance at McCoy. “Would you be of a mind to tell me what you found out?”

“I suppose you’re the only one I can tell, though I know I’ll have to fill Spock in eventually.” He snorted. “What am I saying? The minute I walk in the door.”

“Not Brian?”

McCoy gave him a sour look. “Not hardly.” He took a breath. “God, where do you begin with something like this?”

“At the beginnin’?” Stephen suggested.

“Yes, but when was the beginning?” He pondered his next words. “The thing they brought to your house yesterday used to be a man…almost six hundred years ago.”

“The Reverend Robert Kirk.”

McCoy eyed Stephen appreciatively. “You’re a quick one. Yeah, I think it’s him, even though the body I just examined wasn’t that of a sixty year old. How they pulled that one I’ll never know. But even accounting for the fact that he may have aged five hundred and seventy-seven years in a matter of minutes, it still doesn’t answer the question as to what the hell else happened to him.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask.”

“I wouldn’t have found it if I hadn’t been looking so hard but he’s been changed, at the cellular level. He looks human. Well, he looked human but he’s not, not really. Or not completely. Whoever had him all those years did something to him. The only reason I knew who it was was because there was enough left of his own DNA to compare to Jessica’s, Brian’s and Jim’s. If it’s not the Reverend, then they’ve got another ancestor floating around they’re not telling us about who went missing.”

Stephen motioned McCoy across the street and led him to an older model aircar parked in the hospital’s visitor car park. “Get in.”

McCoy hesitated. “Maybe I’ll beam back after all.”

“Very funny. Get in. It’s old but it gets me where I need to go,” he remarked as he unlocked the ‘car and slid into the driver’s seat.

McCoy got in. Stephen started it up and McCoy had to admit, the vehicle’s engine turned over nicely. Stephen pulled out of the car park and both men remained silent until they’d made the turn onto the main highway back to Aberfoyle.

“So, just how ‘not human’ is not human?” Stephen asked without taking his eyes off the road ahead of him.

“He’d been changed, but only so much. Physically, he still looked human. Thing is, a very young human. Say, eighteen or nineteen.”

“I didn’t think you’d be able to retrieve anything like that from the body.”

“Stephen, the only thing wrong with that man, the thing that killed him as a matter of fact, was that he’d aged all those years in a matter of minutes. The way his cells had been damaged testified to that. But I’d be willing to bet that, until the moment he stepped back from wherever it is he’d been, the man was a healthy, though not quite human, male in the prime of his life.”

^^^^^

They pulled into the driveway to find Brian waiting for them on the front porch.

“What’s the matter?” Stephen asked as he climbed out of the ‘car.

“Nothing.” Brian strolled over, meeting them halfway. “I just stepped out for some air.”

McCoy continued past them both, anxious to get to Spock. “Where’s Spock?”

“In the library, where else?” Brian followed behind him.

“Did he get any sleep?”

“Not that I know of. I didn’t get here until this morning, so I couldn’t say about last night. But he hasn’t since I’ve been here.”

“You spent last night in town, Brian?” Stephen asked.

“Yeah,” Brian answered defensively. “I wanted some information that none of you were inclined to give me.”

At the door, Stephen turned to address him. “There’s plenty of reading material here. There was no need to involve the townspeople in this.”

“Except that some of what I wanted to know wasn’t in any of those books.” He motioned toward the library doors as they entered the house.

McCoy shook his head in disgust and went looking for Spock. “Spock, you in here?” he called out as he opened the double doors into the library and walked through.

“There is no need to raise your voice, Dr. McCoy. There is nothing wrong with my hearing.”

McCoy spotted the Vulcan and sighed. Spock was standing at the window, watching that damn hill. “It ain’t going anywhere, Spock, so come sit down before you fall down. Besides, don’t you want to hear my report?” he added sarcastically.

“I do,” Brian responded as he walked in and sat next to McCoy.

McCoy ignored the man, keeping his attention on Spock. “Well?”

Spock seemed to think about it a moment before finally giving in and walking over to where McCoy had made himself comfortable on one of the couches. He seated himself across from him. “Very well, Doctor, I am listening.”

McCoy studied his friend. Spock’s face was drawn and his color was off. “You look like hell.”

“Why, thank you, Dr. McCoy. Is that all you wished me to hear?” He started to rise.

“Sit down, sit down. You know damn well that’s not all.”

“You might want to wait until Stephen joins us,” Brian remarked.

“I’ve already told him what I found,” McCoy responded.

“But I haven’t. There’s more going on here than any of you know.” Brian twisted around toward the doorway. “Here he comes.”

Stephen walked in with a serving tray and placed it on the table between them. The rich aroma of coffee filled the air and pushed back some of the gloom McCoy was beginning to associate with this room. He sniffed. “Smells good. Fresh?”

Stephen sat down next to Spock. “No, from this morning but it’s been sittin’ in an airtight thermos so it’s the next best thing.” He started pouring. “Spock?” He handed a cup to the Vulcan.

McCoy was surprised to see Spock take it. He lifted his own cup and took a sip and returned it to the table. As much as he’d like to, there was no putting off this conversation.

He went over everything he’d already told Stephen. He saw what little color was left drain from Spock’s face at the mention of the changes he’d found in Robert Kirk and he almost thought the Vulcan was going to faint. But he held on, asking McCoy to continue in that toneless voice he used whenever he was upset.

When he got to the end, you could have heard a pin drop. He hadn’t expected a response from Stephen; he’d already heard it. But McCoy was surprised by the lack of any response from Spock.

“Well, aren’t you going to say anything?” he chastised the Vulcan.

“What would you have me say? We had already assumed that Jim was still alive. That he is being held by a malevolent force, I already suspected. You have confirmed those suspicions but give me no way to get him back.”

“Damn it, Spock—”

“I might be able to,” Brian quietly intervened.

All three men turned to stare at him.

“What are you talking about, Brian?” Stephen finally asked.

“You know. You’ve always known.”

“Known what?” McCoy looked from Brian to Stephen and back again.

But Brian was looking at Spock. “You read about it, didn’t you?”

Spock stared at him, clearly puzzled. “I read the account of Robert Kirk’s supposed abduction. There was no mention of his return.”

Brian nodded. “I suppose there wouldn’t be, not in this house.”

Stephen bristled. “I don’t know what it is you’re going on about.”

“Fine, we’ll play it your way. I wondered why I’d never heard about any of this, so I called my mom from the village. She practically went into hysterics when I told her where I was.”

Spock leaned forward. “I suspected your mother may have known more about this when Jim informed me of her actions to keep you from meeting Jessica and Trent.”

“Yeah, she knew because my dad knew, just like his dad knew. It’s why he left this place to begin with. They must have been stirring even then.”

“Who are they?” McCoy asked, exasperated.

“The ‘tripping darlings,’ ‘fauns,’ ‘fairies.’ Whatever you want to call them.”

McCoy rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, Brian.”

“Just because we don’t care for the name he has given them does not mean they do not exist, Dr. McCoy,” Spock responded. “What is it you have learned that makes you think you can retrieve Jim from wherever they have taken him?” he asked Brian.

“After his burial, Robert Kirk was said to have appeared to a cousin. The reverend’s wife was pregnant when he died, and the spectre told the man that he would appear at the baptism of his son. He asked his cousin to be present and, when he appeared, to throw a dagger over him.”

McCoy gave him an incredulous look. “And that’s how we’re supposed to get Jim back? To begin with, Jim doesn’t have a pregnant wife.”

“It doesn’t matter because Kirk’s cousin didn’t do it. Too afraid I guess. But during the Second World War, the cleric’s house was rented to an officer’s wife who was expecting a baby. She claimed Robert Kirk appeared to her, saying that, if the christening was performed on the premises and a knife stuck into his chair, he would be freed.”

“I take it she didn’t do it, either,” McCoy responded.

“No, she didn’t. Let’s face it, having the spirit of someone who supposedly died in 1692 visit your home would scare just about anyone.”

“You still have not explained how this will aid our cause,” Spock impatiently cut in.

“Well, won’t they be baptizing Jessica’s—”

“That’s enough!” Stephen jumped to his feet. “I’ll not hear anything that will endanger Jessie or my son!”

“Sit down, Stephen,” McCoy quietly remarked.

“No! McCoy, he’s daft, you all are, if you think I’ll stand by and let you put my family in danger.”

“Sit down, damn it!” McCoy glared at the man. “Do you honestly believe we’d go along with anything that would hurt either one of them?” He turned back to Brian. “Go ahead. Finish what you’ve got to say.”

“Okay, the way I see it, it doesn’t really matter if the baby is Jim’s or not, just as long as someone throws a knife through the apparition when it appears at the baptism.”

“And that’s your great plan?” McCoy shook his head in disgust. “Now, I’ve heard everything.”

“Spock? Don’t you even want to give it a try?” Brian pleaded with the Vulcan.

Spock didn’t appear to be listening anymore and McCoy could have killed Brian for raising his hope[s] like that. Of all the stupid, harebrained ideas McCoy had ever heard, this one was probably at the top of the list.

“It might work,” Brian angrily shouted at all of them.

McCoy didn’t know who to be sorrier for, Spock, who had gone still and quiet, or Brian, for being so enthralled by the old legends and myths of his people he didn’t seem to be able to distinguish fact from fancy anymore.

“Listen, son,” McCoy gently said, “other than the two people who claimed to be visited by him, did anyone else ever see him? The minister who was performing the services at Kirk’s son’s baptism? Any of the guests? No? No. Because it’s just something that sprung up around the legend. Brian, whatever or whoever took Robert Kirk, whatever or whoever took Jim, do you really think they could be overpowered by a simple knife?”

“It could have happened,” he answered back but he didn’t sound so sure anymore.

McCoy let it go. He didn’t have the time or the inclination to worry about Brian’s fantasies. He got up and approached Spock. “Come on, Spock. Let’s go for a walk.”

The Vulcan seemed to shake himself out of his inertia. He looked up, clearly still rattled. “A walk, Doctor?”

“Yeah, a walk.” He grabbed Spock’s arm and forced him to his feet.

Spock allowed it without protest. McCoy had never been so worried.

 

^^^^^

“It’s really beautiful country, isn’t it?”

Spock looked at McCoy and then at the surrounding landscape with no interest. “I had thought so.”

Damn, it was like talking to a zombie. McCoy had thought forcing Spock to show him the spot where Kirk was taken would bring the Vulcan out of his fog. It didn’t seem to be working. “Is this the way to the cemetery?”

“Yes, it is approximately a quarter kilometer in that direction.” Spock pointed ahead of them.

McCoy rolled his eyes. That’s when he noticed what looked like the remains of a foundation on their right. “What’s that?”

Spock only glanced at it. “The remains of a house, I believe. There are many along this road.”

“Really? How come?”

“I do not know, McCoy. I assume because all the people left.”

McCoy frowned. That was odd, and not a little bit spooky. “I wonder why. I’d think it was a great place to live.” He tried again. “What did that book say about it, the one you said was in Jessica’s library?”

“Only that the population began leaving approximately one hundred years ago and that the exodus started first in this particular area.”

“Why here?” McCoy took another look around. “You said the cemetery is right up ahead? Maybe that had anything to do with it.”

That seemed to grab Spock’s interest. “Why would you think the cemetery was involved?”

McCoy shrugged. “I don’t know. I suppose because of the legends surrounding it. Besides, think about it. First they stop using the church, then the cemetery. Finally, the town itself.”

Spock looked back at the houses’ remains. “I would never have connected the occurrences.”

“No, you probably wouldn’t. “What made me think of it was the way we humans think about graveyards in general.”

“You fear the dead.” Spock suddenly veered to the left and pushed off into the underbrush.

“Wait up, Spock.” McCoy hurried after him. He didn’t know if it was the topic of their conversation or just what he knew had happened around here, what they’d found, but he suddenly didn’t want to be out of Spock’s sight. He caught up with the Spock just as he reached the outskirts of the cemetery.

McCoy came up beside him. “Yeah, this is a creepy place, all right.”

And it was. Many of the headstones leaned at an angle, discolored by moss and lichen. Wrought iron gates that surrounded the more elegant graves were slowly turning to rust. The church itself was without a roof or door. A light mist shrouded the area, adding to the eeriness. But worst of all, the knowe was suddenly so much closer.

“What the hell were you two doing out here?” McCoy asked himself more than Spock.

But it was Spock who answered. “Jim wished to see his ancestor’s grave. He seemed…enraptured by it. Especially after the dreams.”

“I caught the last part of your conversation with Brian; I remember you mentioned Jim was having dreams. Do you think they meant something, Spock?”

“I did not think so then; I am not so certain now. Jim could not remember what form they took. Neither could Trent, Jessica’s brother. But it seems logical to suppose that whatever it is that abducted Jim used the dreams as a conduit of some sort.” Spock bit his lip. “McCoy, there is also something else. I feel as if something is happening. To Jim. And, perhaps, to me.”

“Like what?”

“I do not know. It is only a feeling. Our link was tenuous to begin with; we have not been together long enough for it to strengthen to a degree where I would be able to know, without doubt, where he was or what has become of him. It is assuredly not strong enough to reach across whatever separates us.”

“Can you describe what you feel?”

“It is more what I do not feel. It was the reason I believed him dead to begin with. There is a dampening, a distortion, of what normally flows between us.” He shook his head impatiently. “I have tried to separate what is true from what is false but have not always been successful. It has caused a certain…confusion in my thought processes.”

McCoy had wondered at Spock’s hesitancy. His usual self-assurance and ability to function during a crisis had been sadly lacking. “Then how can you be sure what you’re feeling is right?”

Spock bit his lip. “I cannot, yet it is all I have. I cannot prove that what I sense is correct. But if we do not get him back soon, I fear he will be lost to us forever.”

 

^^^^^

“May I come in?”

Jessica looked up. The expectancy and welcome faded from her face as she saw who it was. “Hello, Brian.”

Brian entered the hospital room and sidled up to the bed. He caught the way she instinctively pulled the bundle in her arms that much closer. It saddened him. “You don’t really think I’d hurt him, do you?”

She gave him a troubled look. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”

Looking around, he noticed the chair in the corner. He pulled it up to the edge of the bed and sat down. “Maybe if we got to know each other better….”

“I know you well enough. You follow the old ways, as I do. And you’ve used its power recently. You practically glow with its residual force.”

That surprised him. He hadn’t realized it left its mark. But she must have used it, too, to know the signs. “Only when there’s no other way.”

“Aye, it’s not a thing to be fooled with. I told Trent that.”

“And Jim? Did you warn him as well?”

She looked down and toyed with the blanket her baby was wrapped in. She shook her head. “It must have only recently touched him because I saw no evidence of it. I would have warned him if I had. The babe would have been safe enough here in Stirling. But I never would have been able to go home again.” She brought her head up and stared at him defiantly. “Now I can.”

“What about Jim?”

“I can’t help him. He’s gone and there’s nothing to be done about it.”

“Then why did you tell them about the legend to begin with? Wouldn’t it have been easier to leave them in ignorance?”

“Stephen brought it up. I worried they would think to look into it but they saw it as he does, only a story told to scare the children. Afterwards, I needed to know whether it was Jim or not. If he had truly only died, then they would still be searching for a substitute.”

Brian didn’t have to ask who “they” were. “Still, you knew what was going on. You could have said something.”

“Why are you so concerned? Surely, you must have used ritual to cleanse yourself of its effects. It must have occurred to you it would need to find another,” she said accusingly.

“I didn’t know what it was I was cleansing myself of. I only knew the dreams and the feeling of being called.” He thought for a moment. “My parents went out of their way to make sure I never knew about this place. I never knew why until now. What about your brother? Didn’t he know?”

“Aye, he knew but he was afraid. He wasn’t like us; he mocked the old ways until he had need of it. By then, it was too late. He had not the courage or the skill to ward off the daemons. That’s why he left.”

“What about me? Is that why you called me? Because if Jim hadn’t been taken, I’d do just as well?”

“It sounds as if it should have been you to begin with,” she scornfully replied. “But you have your power to protect you; there’s nothing I could have done against that.”

He wondered at her claim of innocence. It seemed more than coincidence that, with that thing awakening, she would invite a male member of her family to visit. Her brother was dead and she was expecting a child; what better way to make sure they would be left alone than to give it someone else.

“There might be a way to get Jim back.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And that would be?”

“Robert Kirk told his cousin how but he was ignored. If we were to do the same thing….”

“You speak of the magical power of iron.”

“You already knew, then? And said nothing?”

She looked at him, half angry, half frightened and her words were harsh. “And you’ll say nothing, either. It’s not for us to interfere. They have what they wanted; they’ll go back to sleep now and leave us alone. People will come back to Aberfoyle. It’ll be a good place again.”

“I can’t do that, Jessica. I’ve got to at least try to get him back.”

“You’re tampering with something you know nothing about; you think you do but you don’t. It’s best to leave it alone. I never wanted it to take Jim but better him than my son.”

“It won’t take your son. All I want to do is be there when he’s baptized so I—”

“You stay away from my baby! I don’t want you anywhere near his christening, do you hear?”

He stood up. “You can’t stop me.”

“Can’t I? You’re a stranger here, Brian. And strangers have a way of disappearing. You go near the cleric’s house and it will be the last thing you do.”

“What will you do, Jessica? Have Stephen make sure I never make it back?”

“You leave him out of this. This has nothing to do with Stephen.”

He studied her, surprised at what she’d let slip. “He doesn’t know, does he? About any of it. He thinks it’s a just a myth that grew up around Robert Kirk’s death.”

“Aye,” she nodded her head reluctantly.

“Don’t you think you should have told him?”

“And if he had believed me? What man would join himself to a family with such a thing hanging over them? Bring such a thing to his own children? No,” she stated resolutely. “He’s to never know. It’s not a problem anymore; it’d serve nothing to tell him now.”

“You’ve covered all the bases, haven’t you, Jessica?”

“I look after what’s mine. And I’ll deal with anything or anyone who threatens it.” She looked straight at him. “That includes you, Brian.”

He knew she would do it, too. And none would be the wiser. Spock, McCoy, neither would believe she had threatened him. He’d already stretched his credibility with them by bringing up the whole idea to begin with. He might even put them in danger by mentioning Jessica’s threat. Who of the townspeople knew what Jessica knew? Would carry out her threats as a way to guarantee the village’s future?

She looked the picture of innocence, a new mother with her infant in her arms. But, like the place she claimed as her own, she harbored an ugly secret. His grandfather had run from the place. Brian thought back to his mother’s frantic pleading for him to do the same. He turned and left the room.

^^^^^

_Dark, like nothing he’d ever experienced before. And cold, the kind that seeps through your skin to bring an ache to your bones. Spock stumbled blindly through the accursed place, while unseen hands plucked at his clothes and hair. He could barely hear their cryptic pleas, so intent was he on his goal. Jim was here, somewhere, calling to him._

_He tried shoving his tormentors away but no sooner had he rid himself of one, than another would appear to take its place. He was an intruder here and they wished him gone. Their voices seem to rise in an attempt to drown out the faint cry that was his only lead to Jim. The cacophony rose to a crescendo, then silence. Complete and utter silence. He was alone._

 

Spock opened his eyes. The bedroom was already well lit, the morning sun streaming in through the open drapes. He glanced at the clock. Seven hundred hours. He had slept longer than usual.

The temptation was great to just close his eyes and escape back into slumber. For in sleep, his connection to Kirk still held. Awake, there was only the dread of watching what little they’d had unravel and slip away. He did not know what he would do when it was gone. When he was alone again.

But he no longer desired solitude, so he threw aside the covers and dragged himself to a sitting position. At least out there he could go on as if he still cared about anything other than getting Kirk back, could speak when spoken to and pretend that each breath was not an act of betrayal. He existed in sunlight and walked among the living while Kirk endured the nightmare world that Spock was only now beginning to see as it invaded his sleep. Time was running out, for both of them. He would continue to breathe but he would not call his life without Kirk living.

Spock finally stood and gathered his clothes for the day. After a quick shower, he tidied the room and made the bed before going off to look for McCoy. He found him in the kitchen, sitting at the small table set off to one side.

The doctor looked up at the sound of the door closing. “Morning, Spock. Grab a cup of coffee and join me.”

Spock did as requested and took the chair across from McCoy. When he brought the cup of steaming liquid to his lips, he noticed McCoy watching him. He raised his eyebrows in question.

“You look even worse today than you did yesterday. Aren’t you sleeping well?”

He thought about prevaricating but one look at McCoy changed his mind. However bad Spock was doing, McCoy was not far behind him. For staying when he truly did not wish to, for taking on the responsibilities that should have been Spock’s, he deserved the truth. “No, my sleep is being disrupted by…they are not dreams but more images filtering through my connection to Jim.”

“I thought it wasn’t strong enough to reach across.”

“It is not.” Spock struggled to marshall his thoughts. “I do not know how or why this is happening. But I do know that the images are true; Jim is there, wherever there is.”

“Then he’s still alive.” McCoy wiped a shaky hand across his face. “I was beginning to wonder. It’s been five days.”

“McCoy, his death is not what I fear.”

“What then?”

“If he is truly where Robert Kirk was all those centuries, then there is little fear of him dying; that is not why he was taken. But you yourself said, the man who was returned to us is not the same man they originally took, not completely.” Spock looked away for a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing. “I do not believe Jim has been changed. Not yet. But it is only a matter of time. When that happens, will he wish to return? Will he even remotely be the man he was?”

McCoy blanched. “I guess I didn’t want to think about that.” He grabbed Spock’s forearm. “We’ve got to do something, Spock.”

“Agreed. But what?”

“I don’t know. Something. Hell, even Brian’s suggestion is starting to sound like it might have some merit.”

“Too bad you didn’t think so two days ago.” Brian walked into the room; his bag was in one hand.

McCoy eyed him critically. “Where are you going?”

“Home.” Brian glanced over his shoulder. “Is Stephen around?”

“He went to pick up Jessica and the baby,” McCoy responded.

“I’m sorry I’m going to miss them, though I suppose it’s for the best. He and I don’t get along too well.”

“Do you blame him? After what you said here yesterday? You just about accused him of having something to do with Jim’s disappearance.”

“I was wrong about him,” Brian admitted. “Anyway, my taxi will be here in a couple [of] minutes. I wanted to say goodbye.”

Spock finally spoke. “You have given up on Jim, then.”

“There’s nothing I can do, Spock. You’ve got the best minds in Starfleet trying to figure out how to get him back. I’d just be in the way. Besides, someone has to keep the farm running until he comes back. Right?”

Spock wished he still felt so sanguine. Kirk was moving further and further away from him; soon, there would be no coming back. “I shall regret your leaving but I understand why you would wish to go.”

“You’ll let me know if anything happens, won’t you?”

“If you wish.” Spock stood and faced Brian. “I appreciate your willingness to continue caring for the farm. I do not know when I…when we shall return.”

“However long it takes, Spock. Don’t worry about anything except getting Jim back, okay?”

From outside came the honk of a horn.

“There’s my ride.” Brian reached over and shook McCoy’s hand. “See you around, Doc.” He turned back to Spock. “Take care of yourself.”

“I shall do so.”

Brian smiled and hurried from the room.

Spock waited until he heard the front door close behind Brian before he took his seat again. He lowered his head as he tried to control the anxiety threatening to overtake him. When would he repeat this scene with McCoy? When would he be forced to continue this vigil alone, hopelessly waiting for his lover’s return?

McCoy leaned forward and looked up into Spock’s down-turned face. “Hey.”

Spock brought his head up.

“I’m not goin’ anywhere. Not without Jim. Okay?”

Spock fervently hoped that would remain true. Although he would have liked to thank McCoy, a nod of gratitude was all he was capable of.

^^^^^

“We’re not finding anything, Mr. Spock. As far as our instruments are concerned, this hill is solid dirt, through and through.” The Starfleet specialist tinkered with his equipment as he spoke. “If there’s a portal around here, it’s well hidden.”

Spock gazed up at Doon Hill. The knowe was keeping its secrets. However Kirk had been taken, though what door, there seemed to be no way of finding out. Every type of sensor had been used, at every wavelength, in their attempt to find a way in. Equipment was strewn about the bottom of the hill, while sensors dotted its sides. Spock found it harder and harder to hold onto the little hope that remained.

“We’ve got one more thing apparatus we want to try,” the technician added. “It’s supposed to be able to pick up the dark energy released when parallel universes touch. It’s only been tried a few times, though, with uneven results. But I’ll tell you, Mr. Spock, if this doesn’t work, I don’t know what we’ll do next. We’re running out of options.”

And time. The images that had followed Spock to wakefulness had been dark…and silent. He no longer heard Kirk, so little of his lover remained. “How has Starfleet responded to your lack of progress?”

“They’re not ready to pull us off yet but their patience is wearing thin. Between you and me, I think they’ll give us a few more days, max. After that, they’ll probably pull the plug.”

That was his thought as well but he had hoped the man would prove him wrong. “Very well. I appreciate your candor.” He looked around. “Where are your colleagues?”

“Oh, they’re nearby, no need to worry about that.” He pulled out a communicator. “We keep in constant contact. See, the channel’s open. That hill,” he motioned toward the knowe with his head, “isn’t getting anyone else.”

Spock thought their communicators would do little good if whatever took Kirk wanted another. But he did not believe it did. These men were safe, just as he was. He nodded toward the man and then departed for the house.

He did not take the path to the church; rather, he turned north to pick up the road that led back through the village. It took twice as long but it kept him away from the cemetery and whatever it was that had been buried in Robert Kirk’s grave so long ago. Odd how he could not abide the thought of being near that thing yet managed to tolerate the knowe. Perhaps because the body that lay within the grave brought to mind the changeling of Kirk, blasted into nothingness after the autopsy; McCoy had seen to that, Starfleet be damned. But Spock had held it in his arms and not known the difference. That thought made him feel unclean.

The River Forth came into view and the small bridge, old but still usable. He carefully crossed and made his way out of the trees to stand at the same road he and Kirk had driven on into Aberfoyle. An image of that time, a mere ten days before, refused to go away: of Kirk, eagerly awaiting yet another adventure, imagining that, as long as they were together, there was nothing they could not do, nothing they could not overcome. What Spock would not now give for them to have driven on past this place.

He turned to look back for a moment, then, gathering his energy, stepped onto the road and began walking.

^^^^^

Spock straightened the lines of his tunic, then carefully combed his hair into place. He looked at himself in the mirror. The dark blue outfit softened to royal where the sun hit it and lessened its severity.

He remembered when he had bought it. They were going on holiday and Spock could not wear black to everything, Kirk had commented. He had then insisted on going along to make sure whatever Spock bought would be acceptable. They had made a day of it, going from shop to shop until they had caught sight of this particular outfit and had both agreed that, yes, it would be suitable for just about any formal occasion that might happen to arise while they were on vacation.

Afterwards, they had lunched at a restaurant on the wharf. Kirk had been amused when Spock had fed his leftovers to the seals. They had walked home, content in just being together. It had been a good day.

Spock closed his eyes. When would memory fade and every thought of Kirk no longer bring torment? The knock on the door startled him.

“Spock, you ready?”

“I will be out momentarily.” Spock put down his comb and walked into the bedroom. He grabbed the envelope that contained his and Kirk’s gift to Jessica’s son and slipped it into his pocket as he headed for the door. He opened it to find McCoy waiting impatiently on the other side.

“Hurry up, everyone’s already left.”

“You may lead the way, Doctor.”

There was a slight though cool breeze when they stepped outside. Clouds were building to the west and the sun was sliding in and out of view.

McCoy scanned the sky. “I hope it doesn’t rain until we get back. The place isn’t very far but I’d hate to get wet, not with the temperature falling the way it is.”

The walked down the long driveway and onto the road that led to the cleric’s home. This road, at least, was still being tended. They easily kept a steady pace and soon the small house came into view.

“They decided on Edmund after all,” McCoy commented as they approached the small home. The door was open. They entered and moved toward the sound of voices coming from the room on the left.

“So I was informed. It was the name of a favorite uncle of Stephen’s.”

The room was quite full. None of Jessica’s family lived in the area any longer but apparently Stephen still had numerous relatives nearby. Several rows of chairs set along one wall were rapidly filling. Spock recognized some of the men who had helped them search for Kirk. He nodded in greeting as he passed while he and McCoy worked their way over to take seats.

McCoy started skimming through the hymnal that had sat on the empty chair. “I sure hope we don’t have to sing.”

“I did not research the particulars of this rite.”

“I remember when I was a boy, these things were a reason to party. And everyone sang. Didn’t change much as I got older. I even took Jim to one once.” He chuckled. “He couldn’t carry a tune to save his life.” He looked at Spock in dismay. “I’m sorry, Spock. For some reason I’ve started talking about him in the past tense.”

“Do not be sorry, Doctor. Perhaps you are being the logical one this time. There is no logic in basing a belief on a ‘feeling.’”

“Don’t you say that,” McCoy angrily responded. “We’re going to get him back. All right?”

Jessica and Stephen entered the room at that moment, relieving Spock of responding. The couple moved toward the font set up in one corner, the cleric, an older, graying man, following close behind them.

Everyone moved away from the center of the room, making it easier for all to see. Those sitting rose as the participants took their places in front of the font. Spock had a clear view of it from where he stood. Jessica held the child while Stephen stood to her left. The infant squirmed slightly but seemed content to lie within his mother’s arms. The cleric spoke quietly to the couple for a few minutes. When he finished, both Jessica and Stephen nodded. The ceremony began.

Spock heard the commotion seconds before Brian burst out from among the other guests. He had a dagger in his hand.

“Brian, no!” Spock shouted as he lunged toward the man.

Brian didn’t even slow down. Without hesitation, he hurled the knife past the startled cleric, only narrowly missing Jessica, who instinctively huddled over her child.

Stephen seemed to get over his surprise and started toward Brian but Spock managed to get to him first. He grabbed Brian’s upper arms and held him in place. Brian hardly noticed, so intently was he focused on the area right behind the font.

As Stephen charged toward them, McCoy came up from behind and positioned himself between them. “Stop it, Stephen. Can’t you see the man’s not in his right mind?”

Spock leaned forward and took a good look at Brian’s face; McCoy was right. Brian’s eyes bulged with horror and perspiration trickled down his face. Whatever he was seeing was frightening him out of his mind.

“You can let go of him, Spock. I have him.” McCoy had insinuated his arm between them and wrapped it around Brian’s shoulders. “What is it you see, Brian?”

“Don’t you see it?” Brian slowly turned his head toward McCoy, his eyes only reluctantly following. Even then, they remained focused on the doctor for barely a moment before returning to stare at whatever it was none other could see.

“No, I don’t. Can you describe it?”

Brian shook his head. “There’s no light. But I see movement. Something….” He seemed to draw into himself.

“I need to get him back to the house. I left my medical tricorder there.” McCoy tried leading Brian toward the door. “Come on, Spock. Help me.”

Everyone moved back, as if afraid they might catch Brian’s insanity. He moved meekly enough, though, and Spock and McCoy had no trouble getting him out of the house.

“Is there a ‘car we could use?” McCoy asked.

“I will hold him, Doctor, while you inquire.”

“Okay,” McCoy agreed, though somewhat reluctantly. “Just don’t agitate him. It might not take much to get him going again.”

Spock was too focused on Brian to be insulted. He merely nodded as the doctor took off back into the house.

“He should have got away,” Brian quietly remarked.

“Who should have got away?”

“Jim. He should have left. Why didn’t he leave?”

Spock stared at Brian, wanting to believe but afraid to. “You saw Jim?”

Brian looked at him then. It seemed as if whatever fog held him was lifting. “Didn’t you?”

“No. No one saw anything, besides you.”

“That can’t be right.” Brian began to shake and he started looking wildly around. “They’re here. They’re all around us. You have to see them!”

Spock grew alarmed and grabbed him by the shoulders. What was keeping McCoy? “Let us return inside, Brian.” He wasn’t prepared for Brian’s reaction.

“No! Not in there! I won’t go back in there!”

If the cleric’s house hadn’t been so close to the tree line, Spock might have had a chance of catching him. As it was, Brian broke from his grasp and made straight for the forest. By the time Spock got to its edge, the man was nowhere in sight.

 

^^^^^

  
“Spock!”

Spock turned to see McCoy come tramping out of the underbrush.

“Anything?” McCoy asked.

“Nothing. I do not understand how he could have disappeared so completely in so little time.” He looked past McCoy in the direction of the cleric’s home. “How many have joined in the search?”

“I’m not sure; I made a detour to get my tricorder and Stephen was still trying to get volunteers when I left. But I think there’s about ten of us.”

“Ten? There were four times that many when we were looking for Jim.”

“Yeah, well, I think a lot of people are spooked. They don’t want anything to do with this place in general or Kirks in particular, especially after the scene Brian caused at the baptism.”

Spock had not stayed any longer than to notify McCoy of Brian’s escape so had not seen their reluctance, but he could well imagine their lack of enthusiasm. The people of Aberfoyle had probably had their fill of the whole situation.

“I’m sort of surprised we haven’t found him yet. I would have sworn he’d head straight for the knowe,” McCoy mused.

“As would I. But he may not have stayed near the path but headed further up. I was just about to widen my search.”

“Want some company? I hate being out here alone.”

Spock gave him a look but acquiesced. He certainly understood the feeling. They started up the hill, with Spock leading the way. It was slow going. The hill was heavily forested and each pile of leaves or wood had to be searched, something new and unknown, most likely originating from the knowe, disrupting their tricorders. Two hours later, they were only halfway up.

Spock returned from inspecting a particularly large snarl of bracken to find McCoy sitting on the decaying remains of a tree.

“Don’t look at me that way; I need a rest. Just five minutes.” McCoy patted the space next to him. “So do you. You’re still not getting enough sleep.”

Spock took the offered seat. “I shall sleep when this is over.”

“I hope that’s soon. A couple of the other men had the same thought, to search the entire hill, so that should hurry things up some. Stephen is working his way up the path from the cemetery so that’s covered, too,” McCoy noted. “I don’t know what we’re going to do if we don’t find him here; he could be miles away by now if he headed off in another direction.”

“I now understand Jim’s concern for his cousin.”

“He doesn’t seemed to be screwed together very tightly.”

Spock agreed, though he wouldn’t have put it so colorfully. “He was not always that way, or, at least, did not seem to be. When I first met him, he appeared stable, though somewhat impulsive.”

“What happened?”

“At the time, we attributed it to the loss of his companion, but I am beginning to believe that whatever it is that inhabits this area was already trying to draw him here.”

McCoy shivered. “I wish you wouldn’t talk like that. We don’t know for sure what’s going on here.”

“Surely you do not still think otherwise?” Spock gazed at their surroundings. “I do not believe in fairy tales, Doctor, but something has been interfering with the lives of this place’s inhabitants for a very long time. The knowe, I believe, houses perhaps a doorway or portal to another dimension.”

“It sounds so sane when you explain it.”

“No, whatever or whoever has Jim is not sane, not the way we understand sanity. Come,” Spock abruptly stood, “we should continue.”

As the hill narrowed, they managed to cover more ground in less time. They were nearing the top when they heard the shouting.

“Over here, Spock!”

Through the trees, they saw Stephen and two other men standing next to a large pine tree sticking out of the summit. They rushed the rest of the way up, McCoy huffing slightly as he tried to keep up.

“You have found something?” Spock asked.

Stephen nodded to the body at the base of the tree. It was Brian.

McCoy knelt down and ran his tricorder over it. He shook his head in regret. “He’s dead.”

Stephen swore. “How long?”

“I’d say less than an hour.”

“Is it Brian, McCoy?” Spock wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

McCoy shrugged. “I can’t be positive. The paramedics who picked up Jim’s body thought they had a real person, too. The difference is so small, a regular tricorder can’t pick it up. We won’t know for sure until I get him back to the morgue.”

One of the men spoke up. “For what it’s worth, I only thought to look up here after I remembered Donald Ashby sayin’ this is where they’d found the other body.”

“Why would you think the two would be connected?” McCoy looked up and asked.

“I wasn’t sure. But seein’ that the other two were taken at the same place, well, I thought maybe there’d be certain places the wee folk preferred.” As if he realized what he’d just said, the man blushed and quieted.

Spock stilled and then suddenly turned and started racing down the hill.

He heard McCoy call out to him but he neither answered nor even slowed. If Brian had only recently been taken, perhaps, just perhaps….

A narrow path seemed to have been cut leading directly to the tree at the top, so it took less than ten minutes to get to the bottom of the hill. Spock slid to a halt and then veered left to where they’d found Kirk’s duplicate. He could still hear the men behind him, shouting for him to wait but he paid them no mind.

He saw the body as he burst into the small clearing. His heart pounding, he slowly approached. Closer up, he recognized the clothes as Kirk’s and the distinctive color of his lover’s hair. He dropped to his knees next to the still form.

“Jim?” Spock swallowed and gently pulled the body into his arms. It was warm and, as he pulled it closer still, he could feel the gentle breath against his cheek. “Oh, Jim.” The words were barely a whispered croak, yet something must have got through, for suddenly Kirk stiffened and tried to push away.

The attempt was ineffectual; Spock was holding him fast. Reluctantly, he loosened his grasp and found himself looking into the open eyes of his lover.

“Spock?” A shaky hand came up and grabbed hold of Spock’s hair. “Is it really you?”

“Yes, Jim.” Spock spoke around the tightness in his throat.

Kirk’s hand disentangled itself from Spock hair and moved down to wipe at his cheek. “You’re crying.”

Spock hadn’t noticed. All he could see was the man in his arms.

Kirk turned at the sound of the other men finally catching up. “Bones?”

McCoy ran to their side. He crouched down next to the two men, a wide smile splitting his face. “It’s me all right. How you doing, Jim?”

Kirk passed a hand over his brow. “I don’t know. I…I don’t seem to be able to remember much of anything. Just that I was alone.”

“Were you alone?” Spock asked. He remembered, even if Kirk did not, what he saw and felt through their connection.

“I thought so.” Kirk looked around, as if only now noticing his surroundings. “Where am I?”

“Never mind that,” McCoy ordered. “Spock, let’s get him out of here.”

Spock couldn’t have agreed more. He helped Kirk to his feet, Kirk’s arm slung over his shoulders and his own wrapped tightly around Kirk’s waist.

“What about…” Stephen nodded his head in the direction of the crown of the hill.

The man who had originally found the body answered. “We’ll go.” He motioned to the other man with them. “Shouldn’t take more than the two of us.”

“I will place a call to the authorities when we reach the house; someone will meet you here to pick it up.” Spock did not ever want to see the body again; this way, he would not have to.

With McCoy on Kirk’s other side, and Stephen bringing up the rear, they started the slow journey back to the house.

^^^^^

“Here, drink this.” McCoy handed Kirk a steaming cup of tea.

Kirk took it gladly. He still felt chilled.

They were sitting in the Owen’s kitchen. Stephen had disappeared upstairs the moment they had entered the house. Between Spock’s clipped responses and McCoy’s blustering, Kirk had managed to get most of the story of his disappearance out of them. Both seemed oddly reticent when it came to his return, however.

Kirk took a sip and glanced from the doctor to Spock. Both men watched him intently.

“I’m not going anywhere, so you can both settle down.”

“Who’s saying anything about you going anywhere?” McCoy snapped. “Can’t a doctor be concerned about his patient?”

Kirk was going to respond when he noticed the look on Spock’s face. He put his cup down and took the Vulcan’s hand. “I’m right here, Spock.”

Before Spock could respond, the door flew open and Jessica rushed in.

“Jim!” She threw herself into his arms. “Oh, Jim, I’m so glad they got you back.”

Kirk laughed. “I’m fine, I’m fine. But it’s nice to know I was missed so much.”

Jessica reeled back, obviously shocked. “Didn’t they tell you what happened? ‘Tis nothing to joke about. And poor Brian.”

“Jessie,” Stephen warned from the doorway.

“What about Brian?” Kirk looked from Jessica, who warily stepped out of his arms, to Stephen and then at Spock. “What about Brian, Spock?”

“Jim, it’s—”

“Quiet, McCoy, I want to hear it from Spock.”

Spock looked at him so oddly, for a moment Kirk thought the Vulcan was going to bolt from the room. Instead, he closed his eyes and lowered his head. Kirk waited, knowing his lover was merely composing an answer, not skirting one.

Finally, Spock opened his eyes and looked up. “Brian has taken your place, Jim.”

“He what? What are you saying, that you let that place have him just to get me back?”

“No, none of us knew the consequences of his actions. Brian thought only to retrieve you; I do not know if he was aware that he would be forced to take your place.”

“So how do we get him back?”

No one said a word.

“Spock?” Kirk asked, horrified at what their silence meant.

“I do not know. If we attempt to duplicate his actions, who of your family shall we sacrifice?”

“Jim, Starfleet’s got people working on it. If there’s a way to get him back, they’ll find it,” McCoy responded.

“And until then?”

“We must leave.”

Kirk looked at Spock in surprise. “Leave? Why?”

“There is a possibility that you are still in danger.”

“Spock, I need to find out what happened to Brian and how to get him back.”

“No, I will not allow it.” Spock turned and walked to a corner of the room, as far as he could get from Kirk. “There are others who can search more effectively than you can. There is no reason for you to stay. We must leave. Now.”

Kirk’s eyes widened. Spock had never so adamantly contradicted him in this way. But he didn’t want to have this conversation in front of an audience. With a look, Kirk asked McCoy to give them some privacy.

“I think I’ll contact Starfleet, let them know their prize officer is back,” McCoy murmured as he stood and moved toward the door. He motioned for Jessica and Stephen to follow him.

Once everyone else was out of the room, Kirk crossed over to Spock. “It’s all right, Spock. Wherever they took me, I’m back now and I’m not leaving again.”

“You do not know that.” Spock’s voice was so low Kirk would have had trouble hearing him if they hadn’t been alone. “We must leave. You are not safe here. We must leave now.”

“Spock—”

“No, Jim.” Spock turned abruptly around to face him. “I will not argue this with you. We must leave this place, today.”

“You’re not being very logical.”

“I do not care.” Spock grabbed Kirk’s arms. “Please. I do not ask this lightly. You do not yet know all that transpired while you were gone.”

“Then tell me,” Kirk responded. He’d never seen Spock quite like this. It scared him more than any horror story Spock could possibly relate to him.

Spock shook his head once, adamantly. “Not while we are still here. I will tell you all, but only once we are gone.”

Kirk knew when to wait to fight another day. “All right, Spock, we’ll leave as soon as we can get transportation.”

“That will not be a problem. McCoy has been in constant contact with Starfleet; their transporter has been at his disposal.”

“Bones using the transporter when he didn’t have to? That’s a first.” He gently disengaged his arms from Spock’s hold. “Then I guess we should go pack and say goodbye to Jessica and Stephen.”

Spock visibly relaxed. As Kirk started toward the door, he felt his lover’s hand on his shoulder. He turned around, a question on his face.

“Thank you, Jim.”

Kirk studied the anxiety perhaps only he could see on Spock’s face. “For something to have scared you this much, I guess I’d be a fool not to go along. Come on, let’s go home.”

^^^^^

It took little time to pack but Kirk wanted to say a proper goodbye to Jessica, who had gone back up to be with her son. Spock seemed almost nervous, as if he was afraid she would say something to him to make him want to stay. Still, he refrained from accompanying Kirk into her room, staying downstairs with McCoy.”

He needn’t have worried. Kirk’s conversation with her was only about the future and what it held for both of them. They talked for a time and Kirk held her son. The baby seemed to have brought a certain serenity to Jessica, her earlier dark mood all but lifted. Kirk was glad. Bad enough Brian’s disappearance colored his own feelings about the place.

They left before night fell. As the sky darkened and the sun began its journey toward the horizon, McCoy appeared to catch Spock’s nervousness. He knocked and entered the room to add his voice to the Vulcan’s previous entreaties. He urged Kirk to finish his goodbyes, while nervously throwing glances through the bedroom window toward the lowering sun.

“Come on, Jim. It’s time to go,” McCoy complained. “Starfleet wants a full report from me and, unlike you, I’m not on vacation.”

Kirk gave Jessica a “see what I have to go through” look and handed her back her baby. “You’ll have to come out to the farm someday. Every boy should learn to ride a horse.”

Her answer was noncommittal and Kirk had the feeling she never would make that journey. He kissed both her and child and followed McCoy out the door.

“What’s wrong with you, Bones? You’re acting like you’re being chased by the devil himself.”

“I told you, Starfleet wants me at HQ. Now, come on.” He grabbed Kirk’s arm and hastened him down the stairs and into the foyer where Spock waited.

“You go first,” McCoy insisted.

“What about the ‘car?”

“What ‘car?”

“The one we rented in Stirling.”

“Dr. McCoy has graciously offered to return it for us,” Spock said.

“I thought you were in a hurry to report in?” Kirk gave the doctor an accusing look.

“Don’t worry about me, Jim. You just get yourself home.”

Kirk shook his head and grabbed his suitcases. “God, you’re a mother hen, Bones.”

McCoy didn’t bother responding. Instead, he pulled out a communicator and opened up a channel to Starfleet. He gave them the coordinates for the Kirk farm.

“See you later, Jim, Spock,” the doctor gleefully said as he waved goodbye.

The next thing Kirk knew, he and Spock were standing in front of their home and the sun was high overhead. He shielded his eyes as he looked up.

“It is approximately fifteen point two seven hundred hours,” Spock announced.

“This is turning into one long day,” Kirk responded as he walked up the porch steps.

Inside, the house was cool and quiet; it felt deserted, as if they had been gone ten years instead of ten days. Kirk put down his luggage and glanced around the room. “It feels empty.”

He felt Spock’s arms come round him in an embrace. “We are here.”

Kirk leaned back into that safe haven. “Yes, but Brian isn’t. God, I’m going to hate having to break the news to my aunt. It’s sort of strange when you think about it, though; everything she did to keep him away from there, it’s as if she always knew it would try to take him.”

“Do you think he was always the one it wanted?”

“I don’t know. I remember so little of what went on; I could never remember the dreams afterwards and I certainly don’t remember how I got on the hill. But from what you and Bones told me, Brian was apparently wide awake when he headed there.”

“He wished to save you. I shall be forever grateful to him; you would not be here if not for his perseverance.”

“I wonder if we’ll ever see him again.”

“I do not know. Forgive me, but I am inclined to think not.”

“Why not?”

“Not yet.” Spock unwrapped his arms from around Kirk and took his hand instead. “Come. We will rest and then I shall tell you all you wish to hear.”

Kirk trailed his lover up the stairs. Halfway up he stopped and pulled his hand from Spock’s. “You go on ahead. I want to grab something to eat.”

“I can accompany you if you wish.”

“I’m just going into the kitchen, Spock.” He gave his lover an indulgent smile. “You’re going to have to let me out of your sight sometime. Go on, I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

Spock hesitated but then reluctantly nodded his head. “You are correct. I will be in the bedroom.”

Kirk waited until Spock had turned the corner at the top of the stairs before starting down. In the kitchen he pulled out the fixings for sandwiches and placed them next to the com link.

While slicing the bread, cheese and pickles, he put in a call to Starfleet. “This is Captain James Kirk. I’d like to talk with whoever’s in charge of the investigation into the disappearance of Brian Douglas.”

Ten minutes later, he was on his way upstairs, carrying a tray loaded down with sandwiches, fruit, a couple of slices of cake and two large glasses of iced tea.

^^^^^

 

_The darkness pressed in all around him as he scurried from place to place, hiding, always hiding. Where was everyone? He was so afraid. Someone was after him. He didn’t know what would happen if they found him but he knew it would be terrible. So terrible. Please, someone, help me, he sobbed. He stumbled and went down and they were upon him._

 

Kirk’s eyes flew open. It was night, though moonlight brightened the room and cast shadows across the floor. He could feel Spock nestled behind him, their bodies still as close as when they’d first fallen asleep. He supposed it was a closeness Spock might need for quite awhile.

The meal had helped Spock tell his story; the added task of choosing what he wished to eat first, taking a drink of tea from time to time and meticulously peeling a piece of fruit seemed to give him the distance he needed. Still, it had been a disturbing tale. Kirk pulling Spock into his arms at its end had the inevitable outcome. Their lovemaking had been fierce.

But the night was warm and Kirk slowly pulled out of the embrace. Spock frowned in his sleep but then turned on his back and quieted. Kirk stared up at the ceiling, watching the patterns come and go as the branches from the tree outside their window broke up the moonlight. He thought about the dream he’d just had.

This particular dream refused to go away. He’d had it years, in one form or another, since he was thirteen and had witnessed the executions on Tarsus IV. The days he’d spent in hiding, ever fearful he’d be found, had fueled his nightmares ever since.

He turned his head to study his sleeping lover. He knew Spock didn’t dream but he wondered how the Vulcan would come to terms with the images that had bled through their link while Kirk was, well, wherever he had been. He had been surprised at Spock’s reaction to them; he’d never seen him so apprehensive. Kirk was glad that was one nightmare it seemed he was destined never to remember.

And Brian? What did he see now in that other place? Had he known what could happen and chose to ignore the risk? Or had his mind been clouded to the danger? And Jessica, where did she fit into all of this? Spock had felt that Brian had come to distrust her; what had he known that the rest of them hadn’t? The fact that she’d set the day of her son’s christening on the same exact day Robert Kirk had originally been taken couldn’t have been mere coincidence.

Kirk hadn’t exactly lied to Spock, but neither had he tried to dissuade him of the idea that he would leave Aberfoyle and never return. Kirk smiled at his sleeping lover; Spock should know better.

Whatever inhabited the knowe had haunted his family for at least six hundred years. And though he would not be going back tomorrow, or next week, or even next month, he would return there someday. Because someday Starfleet’s cadre of scientists would unlock the secret of the knowe. On that day, he would return to that place, he would recover his cousin, and he would break whatever covenant held his family to that unholy summit.

He drifted off to sleep, secure in his resolve. And he did not dream.

 

Finis

 

_Tho this Correƒpondence with the Intermediate Unconfirm'd People (betwixt Man and Angell) be not ordinary to all of us who are Superterraneans, yet this SIGHT falling ƒome Perƒons by Accident, and its being connatural to others from their Birth, the Derivation of it cannot always be wicked._

_The Secret Commonwealth_  
of Elves, Fauns and Fairies  
by Robert Kirk [1691]


End file.
